Hemileuca peigleri

Hemileuca peigleri, the Texas buck moth, is a moth in the family Saturniidae.[1]

Hemileuca peigleri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Hemileuca
Species:
H. peigleri
Binomial name
Hemileuca peigleri
Lemaire, 1981

Description

The male abdomen is black with a red tip, and the female abdomen is solid black. Their wings are almost transparent, with the upper side of the wing being gray with narrow black borders and a black wing base.[2] Each wing has a wide white band with a small eyespot. Their wingspan ranges from 5.8 – 8.2 cm.[2]

Range

Their range covers central Texas.[2]

Habitat

Their habitat consists of oak-covered hills.[2]

Ecology

Adult moths of this species do not feed. Female Texas buck moths fly 10–20 feet above the ground within oak trees while males fly near the ground.[2]

Hosts of the Texas buck moth include Texas live oak (Quercus fusiformis), Havard's oak (Q. havardii), Shumard's oak (Q. shumardii), and Nuttall oak (Q. texana).[2]

Etymology

Taxonomy

Hemileuca peigleri is at times considered a subspecies of Hemileuca maia, but many authors consider it its own species.[3]

References
  1. "Texas Buck Moth (Hemileuca peigleri)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  2. "Hemileuca peigleri Lemaire, 1981". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. "Hemileuca maia peigleri". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
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