Nuttalls sheep moth

Hemileuca nuttalli

"Hemileuca nuttalli", or Nuttall's sheep moth, is a moth in the family Saturniidae. It is found from south-eastern British Columbia to eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, north-eastern California, Idaho, Nevada, northern Arizona, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and north-western New Mexico. The species was first described by Ferdinand Heinrich Hermann Strecker in 1875 under the name "Pseudohazis nuttalli".
Nuttall's Sheep Moth  Geotagged,Hemileuca nuttalli,National Moth Week 2022,Nuttalls sheep moth,Summer,United States,moth week 2022

Appearance

The wingspan is 60–65 mm. The forewings are yellowish on the bottom, gradually morphing into white on the top. The veins are black at the tips and there is a black eyespot on each wing with a white center. The hindwings are yellow orange with black-tipped veins and a thick black stripe that curves through the middle of the wing, up through the forewings. There is a small black eyespot in the middle of each wing. The body is yellow orange.

Evolution

The eggs are laid in rings around small twigs of the host plant. The larvae have been recorded feeding on "Purshia tridentata", "Symphoricarpos" species and "Ribes" species. The larvae are black and are covered with yellow spines that will sting on contact with skin.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilySaturniidae
GenusHemileuca
SpeciesH. nuttalli