Bolivia: Gamelia Comparison Plate

I (Bill Oehlke) frequently am asked for id help, or I try to help with determination of a specimen in a digital image where the moth is at rest and the lower wings are obscured.

Some species are so similar in appearance that even when the hindwings are in view, it is almost impossible to come up with a positive determination. In such cases I can usually only offer an opinion that it could be any of either just a couple of species or sometimes a few species.

Whenever possible, I try to ascertain two important pieces of information for the moth in question: 1) precise geographic location and 2) elevation. If the photographer does not know the elevation, I try to locate that info via a Google search.

I have arranged the following comparison table to take advantage of items 1 and 2, so one's search can be reduced to those species encompassed by such data. Only known Bolivian species are reported.

Hopefully some visibly physical features of the moth will allow for further reducation of possibilities as per the notes accompanying each entry.

Wing features that I look at carefully are overall shape of wings, contrast and general colouration, cell and line markings (shape and position), colour of thorax.

If you happen to be a photographer, it is often very helpful to also have images of the ventral wing surface. I am very happy to receive and display your high quality images, credited as you wish, on this website. Images can be sent as email attachments to Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com

With the advent of DNA barcoding in 2008 many (hundreds, possibly over a thousand) new Saturniidae species have been described worldwide, including Gamelia cusciettei, Gamelia boliviettei, Gamelia chuquibambensis from Bolivia. Possibly these new species may replace older known, very similar species (Gamelia viettei; Gamelia abasia) which were possibly erroneously reported from Bolivia.

This page is dedicated to Thibaud Decaens who has provided many Saturniidae images, especially from Bolivia and Colombia. Thibaud provided the following comparison plate prior to the advent of DNA barcoding in 2008. He had determined all six specimens, based on the literature of the day, as Gamelia abasia. Perhaps he is still correct, but some significant differences in size, wing shape and markings as well as location, suggest to me the determinations I have added to the image.

Please note: The descriptions posted below are for males of each species. I hope to someday prepare a similar chart for the females which are often quite different from the males. In most cases I have focused on forewing appearance as I sometimes get asked to id moths that are alive and resting, with hind wings hidden.

The numbers preceding "mm" indicate the length of the male forewing from body to apex, as determined by measuring, in most cases, a number of speciemens.

abasia: 25-27mm; Neotype: Suriname Fw pm line much more convex and further removed from outer margin than in rindguayana or rindgei. Fw cell is circular; larger than in rindguayana Lower third of basal area considerably brighter red-orange-brown than darker brown upper 2/3s. Hw median band is not so dramatically curved back toward the body as it approaches the costa; in rindgei and rindguayana the curve approaches a right angle chuquibambensis: 22-26mm;; 230-1600m; HT Chuquisaca; Cochabamba dark reddish-brown compared to lighter orangey-brown of abasia; outer margin slightly more hollowed out than in abasia I am not sure, but chuqibambensis and romanovi may replace abasia in Bolivia?? size of hw ocellus seems quite variable chuquibambensis/abasia/romanovi??: 22-26mm; 230-1600m; HT Chuquisaca; Cochabamba The specimen to the left (Nor Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia), before descriptions of chuquibambensis and romanovi were put forward, was listed as Gamelia abasia by Thibaud Decaens. With its almost unifrom dark brown ground colour and stumpy apex, it is probably a best match for the G. romanovi image in the ESs publication. romanovi: 22mm; 1070m; HT Cochabamba Described from only a single known male specimen, it seems to be smaller than abasia and darker, more even brown (without reddish-orange) than both abasia and chuquibambensis; apex only very slightly produced and blunter than in abasia or chuquibambensis fw outer margin seems fuller, less hollowed out below the apex than in either abasia or chuquibambensis. abasiella: 24-26mm; 300-1500m HT, Puno, Peru; Cusco, Madre de Dios; La Paz Should be unmistakeable with forewing apices quite produced and pointing more upward than outward. Ground colour beize with generous grey-brown suffusions, darker brown in basal area. Fw: small, yellow, slightly oblong cell with long axis, black tipped at each end, almost perpendicular to costa. Hw cell relatively small circle. rindgei: 29-35mm; HT Junin, Peru; Cusco, Madre de Dios, Puno probably throughout Bolivia: Beni; Cochabamba, Chuquisaca; probably in Andean Ecuador and Colombia. Lemaire also lists this as a Guayano-Amazonian species, but I think it may be replaced in that region by the recently described G. rindguayana. Relatively large, distinct, oblong cell Fw pml meets inner margin much closer to anal angle than in other Bolivia species with lighter forewing ground colour. rindgei: 29-35mm; 250-900m I am almost certain this specimen from Beni, Bolivia, is rindgei. I suspect it will also be found in La Paz Department, although Lemaire does not have it listed there in 2002. Peru: San Martin (ESs), Huanuco, HT Junin, Cusco, Madre de Dios, Puno; Bolivia: Beni, Cochabamba, Chuquisaca; Ecuador: Sucumbios, Orellana, Tungurahua, Napo, Morona-Santiago and probably Pastaza; possibly western Venezuela?? The next five species tend to be darker, almost an even dark grey with less contrast than the lighter, "browner" species depicted above. I think that viettei, described from Huanuco, Peru, is probably replaced in Bolivia by cusciettei and boliviettei. boliviettei: 32-35mm; 1000-1800m; HT Cochabamba; La Paz; Peru: Cusco; probably Puno Ground colour almost uniform dark grey with even darker subterminal bands (relatively even and narrow on hindwing). Filler between double black pm line is slightly lighter grey. Forewing apex is quite pointed, following line of upward reaching costa rather than arching outward and downward from line of costa. Forewing cell spot is a small red circle, outlined in ovate black. There is also a brown form. cusciettei: 35-37mm; 500-1800m; HT Cusco: Peru; Madre de Dios; La Paz This species is not as dark as boliviettei and the hindwing ocellus is significantly larger in cusciettei as compared to boliviettei. sorry, no image available viettei: 34-37mm; ?? questionable in Bolivia, may be limited to range in Huanuco, Peru, being replaced in Bolivia by boliviettei and cusciettei?? I think the images in Lemaire's 2002 Hemileucinae listed as viettei are INCORRECT. They are more likely hollinensis or kaechi from eastern Ecuador. I would love to see an image of the Holotype or of a Gamelia from Tinga Maria, Huanuco, Peru, the holotype location for viettei. neidhoeferi: 29-34mm; : 29-34mm; 1600-2400m Ecuador: Sucumbios; Tungurahua; Azuay; Zamora Chinchipe; Napo; Morona-Santiago; probably Pastaza; Colombia: Tolima; Cundinamarca; Peru: Amazonas; San Martin; Junin; Cusco; Puno; HT Bolivia: Cochabamba; probably La Paz (WO?) I am not sure, but perhaps neidcuscoensis replaces neidhoferi on the eastern slopes from Cusco south at least to La Paz. rubriluna: 32-37mm. The forewing cell mark is very tiny and dark red, often indistinct in any but the clearest photos of fresh specimens. In the quite similar lichyi, once considered a subspecies of rubriluna, the cell spot is a more contrasting orange-yellow. Venezuela: Bolivar; Zulia; Ecuador: Napo; Morona Santiago; Peru: San Martin; Loreto; Bolivia: La Paz; Brazil: Amazonas; Mato Grosso

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You can access similar Gamelia comparison plates/tables for other countries via the links at the bottom of the Gamelia Genus page.