The buck moth (''Hemileuca maia'') is a common insect found in oak forests, stretching in the United States from peninsular Florida to New England, and as far west as Texas and Kansas. It was first described by

Dru Drury Dru Drury (4 February 1724 – 15 December 1803) was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He had specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry Sme ...

in 1773. The larvae typically emerge in a single generation in the spring. The larvae are covered in hollow spines that are attached to a poison sac. The poison can cause symptoms ranging from stinging, itching and burning sensations to nausea. Subspecies ''Hemileuca maia maia'' is listed as endangered in the US state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. The larvae feed on various oaks including scrub oak (''

Quercus ilicifolia ''Quercus ilicifolia'', commonly known as bear oak or scrub oak, is a small shrubby oak native to the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Its range extends in the United States from Maine to North Carolina, with reports of a few popula ...

''), live oak (''

Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old Sou ...

''), blackjack oak (''

Quercus marilandica ''Quercus marilandica'', the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the eastern and central United States. Description ''Quercus marilandica'' is a small deciduous tree growing t ...

''), white oak (''

Quercus alba An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...

''), and dwarf chinquapin oak (''

Quercus prinoides ''Quercus prinoides'', commonly known as dwarf chinkapin oak, dwarf chinquapin oak, dwarf chestnut oak or scrub chestnut oak, is a shrubby, clone-forming oak native to central-eastern North America. Description The dwarf chinkapin oak is a ...

''). Eggs are typically laid in spiral clusters on oak twigs. Mature larvae enter the soil or leaf litter to pupate in late July and emerge between October and the following February as moths to mate and lay eggs. In Louisiana, particularly in cities such as Baton Rouge or New Orleans, where use of live oaks as street trees is extensive, the caterpillars can become a significant nuisance for humans. The caterpillars of this moth can also be a nuisance in some areas of Virginia, such as the

Goshen Scout Reservation Goshen Scout Reservation is a Boy Scout reservation designated to camping, swimming, hiking and other various activities. Goshen is home to six Boy Scouts of America resident summer camps located near Goshen, Virginia, and is owned and operated ...

, where they are infamous for stinging people going to a summer camp in the area.

Taxonomy

The buck moth is in family

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

and genus '' Hemileuca''. There are currently 34 known species in genus '' Hemileuca''. Due to similarities in larval characteristics, adult phenotype and food sources, several groups have been formed within the genus. ''H. maia'' is member of the ''maia'' group of genus ''Hemileuca''. There are eleven species in the ''Hemileuca maia'' species complex and four subspecies of ''H. maia'': *''

Hemileuca maia The buck moth (''Hemileuca maia'') is a common insect found in oak forests, stretching in the United States from peninsular Florida to New England, and as far west as Texas and Kansas. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. The larvae typica ...

'' (Drury, 1773) **'' Hemileuca maia maia'' (Drury, 1773) **'' Hemileuca maia sandra'' Pavulaan, 2020 **'' Hemileuca maia warreni'' Pavulaan, 2020 **'' Hemileuca maia orleans'' Pavulaan, 2020 **'' Hemileuca maia menyanthevora'' Pavulaan, 2020 *'' Hemileuca grotei'' Grote & Robinson, 1868 *'' Hemileuca nevadensis'' Stretch, 1872 *'' Hemileuca juno'' Packard, 1872 *'' Hemileuca diana'' Packard, 1874 *'' Hemileuca lucina'' H. Edwards, 1887 *'' Hemileuca artemis'' Packard, 1893 *'' Hemileuca slosseri'' Peigler & Stone, 1989 *'' Hemileuca peigleri'' Lemaire, 1981 *'' Hemileuca artemis'' Packard, 1893 *'' Hemileuca iroquois'' Cryan & Dirig, 2020 '' Hemileuca maia menyanthevora'' was originally described as a subspecies of ''

'' on April 1, 2020. Cryan & Dirig (2020) described the same taxon as species '' Hemileuca iroquois'' on April 2, 2020. The names have not yet been formally synonymized in a publication, nor has the status (species/subspecies) of either name been changed.

References

External links

* Forestpests.org page o
Buck moth

on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Taxonbar, from=Q2290561 Hemileucinae Insects of North America Moths described in 1773