Urticating
Guides
Hemileuca lucina
New England buck moth
Hemileuca lucina, the New England buck moth, is a day-flying saturniid moth endemic to the New England region of the United States. The species is univoltine with adults emerging in September for a flight season lasting approximately two weeks. Larvae possess urticating spines that can cause painful dermatitis and exhibit a developmental shift from gregarious defensive behavior in early instars to solitary escape behavior in late instars. The species was historically confused with its sister species Hemileuca maia until subtle differences in wing translucence and band width were recognized.
Hylesia
Hylesia is a genus of moths in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Hemileucinae, erected by Jacob Hübner in 1820. Species in this genus are distributed across South and Central America, with well-documented populations in Brazil, Venezuela, French Guiana, Colombia, Argentina, and Paraguay. The genus is notable for causing lepidopterism—a medical condition involving skin and respiratory reactions from contact with urticating setae (bristles) on adult females. Several species, particularly H. metabus and H. nigricans, are significant public health concerns due to seasonal outbreaks of dermatitis.