| Hemileuca peigleri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Saturniidae |
| Genus: | Hemileuca |
| Species: | H. peigleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemileuca peigleri Lemaire, 1981 | |
Hemileuca peigleri, the Texas buck moth, is a moth in the family Saturniidae. [1]
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]
Their habitat consists of oak-covered hills. [2]
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]
Hemileuca peigleri is at times considered a subspecies of Hemileuca maia , but many authors consider it its own species. [3]