The Nevada Buck Moth is a species in the Saturniidae

Saturniidae

The Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the moths. They form a family of Lepidoptera, with an estimated 1,300 to 1,500 described species worldwide...

 family.

Description

The female tends to be larger than the male, while males have black abdomens with red tips. The upperside of the wing is creamy white with black edges, each wing has "eyes" or black dots.

Distribution

They range from the west coast all the way east to Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 and Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. There have been a few sightings in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, but not enough to confirm it as a localized species.

Life cycle

There is one brood between September and December during that time the adult will lay eggs in rings around the twigs of the host plant. Once the caterpillars are ready to pupate they spin loose cocoons in plant litter near their host plant.