Hylesia nigricans

TaxID: 1216696

Basic Information

Hylesia nigricans

Burning Moth

Hylesia nigricans is a species of Lepidoptera of the family Saturniidae. It is a nocturnal moth endemic to Argentina and Brazil. It can be found mainly in the north and center of Argentina, the south of Bolivia and the south of Brazil, due to climatic factors which favor its reproduction. The species was first described by Carlos Berg in 1875. The female adult can reach an average wingspan of 45 mm. Its larvae have an average length of 40 to 45 mm, with black and yellow bodies covered by urticating hairs which, upon contact with skin, produce irritation, causing an extended dermatitis. The larvae are known in Spanish as gata peluda (hairy cat) or bicho quemador (burning bug). The adult is a dark-colored moth - which is where its name comes from - with the back of its abdomen covered by smooth golden hairs. It possesses a voracious appetite, attacking fruit bearing, ornamental and forest plants. It was declared a national plague in Argentina in 1911. There exists a range of chemical products aimed at controlling their development.

from Wikipedia

Taxonomic Information

Metazoa

Arthropoda

Insecta

Lepidoptera

Saturniidae

Hylesia

nigricans

unclassified

Photos (5 photos)

Hylesia nigricans
c
(c) Leonel Roget@BY
Hylesia nigricans
c
(c) Lara Eva@BY-NC
Hylesia nigricans
c
(c) Lucas Rubio@BY
Hylesia nigricans
c
(c) Lauu@BY
Hylesia nigricans
c
(c) Carlos Schmidtutz@BY-NC

Morphological Features

Adult females are larger, more robust, and darker than males; males may have color variations in their wings and a dark or yellow abdomen. The abdomen of females is covered with urticating bristles, which are released at oviposition and may have orange tones.

Source: GBIF Life Stage: Adult Source Type: Scholarly article
Citation:

Cristiano A. Iserhard, Lucas A. Kaminski, Maria O. Marchiori, Eduardo C. Teixeira. 2007. Occurrence of Lepidopterism caused by the moth Hylesia nigricans (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Neotropical Entomology

Host Plants (0 host plants)

Data sources: EPPO Global Database and relevant literature.

No host plants available.

Quarantine Status (2 records)

Data sources: IPPC website and national quarantine websites; verified by human review.

Country Status Year Added
Chile Quarantine pests 2019
United States of America Quarantine pests —

Distribution (3 countries)

Data Sources: EPPO Global Database and GBIF.

3
Present
0
Absent
0
Unknown/Other
Country Status State
Argentina Present —
Brazil Present —
Uruguay Present —

Distribution Map (Latitude and longitude coordinates sourced from GBIF.)

Download CSV

Genomes (0 records)

Data source: NCBI.

No genome records available.

Transcriptomes (0 records)

Data source: NCBI.

No transcriptome records available.

DNA Barcodes (0 records)

View all

Data source: BOLD.

No DNA barcode records available.

Literature