Griffin's sheepmoth Hemileuca griffini Tuskes, 1978

Family: Saturniidae

Subfamily: Hemileucinae

Identification: Male abdomen is black with a red tip, female abdomen is banded with red and black. Upperside of wings is white with narrow black markings.

Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 3 inches (4.4 - 7.6 cm).

Life History: Adults emerge in early morning and mate in late morning. Females lay eggs in early afternoon in bands around twigs of the host plant. Eggs overwinter and hatch in April; the young caterpillars feed together and when older they feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars may wander for 2-4 days before making loose cocoons under plant debris or in sandy soil.

Flight: One flight from August-October.

Caterpillar Hosts: Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima).

Adult Food: Adults do not feed.

Habitat: High desert scrub.

Range: Southern Utah south to central Arizona, west to southern Nevada.

Conservation: Populations should be inventoried and monitored to determine conservation status and impact of grazing on habitat.

NCGR:

Management Needs: None reported.

Comments: NULL

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