DYSDAEMONIA OF THE WORLD

The Dysdaemonia genus belongs to the Arsenurini tribe of Subfamily Arsenurinae, Family Saturniidae.

The Arsenurini are a primitive tribe of very large moths (wingspans 150-200 mm) found in tropical South and Central America. All of them dwell in rain forests except for the montane species, Arsenura cymonia, which flies at altitudes above 1500 m.

Larvae , which in later instars lack the protuberances (scoli) of most other Saturniidae species, are large (120 mm), smooth-skinned, cylindrical and thick and pupate in subterranean chambers.

Dysdaemonia boreas larva, copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.

P indicates a photograph is available. The first country listed is the type locality.

Listing of Dysdaemonia:

P australoboreas, Brechlin & Meister, 2009, Peru, northern Bolivia
P boreas (Cramer, 1775) "West Indies", Mexico to Panama to most of S. America
auster R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874, Surinam, synonym for boreas
P brasiliensis W. Rothschild, 1906 southeastern Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay (UD)
P concisa Becker, 2001 eastern Brazil
P fosteri W. Rothschild, 1906 Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil
cortesi Giacomelli, 1925, Argentina, synonym for fosteri several forms
fulva Breyer, 1933, Argentina, synonym for fosteri several forms
fusca Breyer, 1933, Argentina, synonym for fosteri several forms
grisea Breyer, 1933, Argentina, synonym for fosteri several forms
P undulensis, Brechlin & Meister, 2009, southern Bolivia

Central America: Mexico to Panama and South America: Colombia and possibly Ecuador to Para, Brazil Dysdaemonia boreas male, Belize Dysdaemonia boreas female, Belize Dysdaemonia boreas, Costa Rica Dysdaemonia boreas: 92-136-140mm (NS); females: 106-140mm) (forewing length: males: 62-72). Mexico and all of Central America; Colombia: Choco, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia; Ecuador; Peru; Venezuela; Guyana; Suriname; French Guiana; Trinidad; Brazil: Para. This species (boreas) is replaced in Peru and Bolivia and possibly in eastern Ecuador by australoboreas. am and pm lines not as concave as autraoboreas; am line more oblique I. Chacon suggests there may be two species or an additional boreas subspecies in northern Costa Rica, one from wet forests and one from dry forests. The specimen in question looks very much like Dysdaemonia boreas. Dysdaemonia species, male, Costa Rica, courtesy of I. Chacon. ECUADOR The following two images from Ecuador come from the western side of the Andes. For that reason I think they are both most likely Dysdaemonia boreas, but they could be something undescribed. Dysdaemonia boreas male, Umbrellabird Lodge, Jocotoco Foundation Buenaventura Reserve, near Pinas, El Oro, Ecuador, February 28, 2014, 1200m, id by Bill Oehlke Dysdaemonia boreas female, Union del Toachi-Otongachi, Alluriquin, Pichincha, Ecuador, S 00° 19.247' W 78° 57.103', 838m, April 2007, courtesy of Giampaolo via Lorenzo Comoglio. PERU and BOLIVIA Dysdaemonia australoboreas male Dysdaemonia australoboreas male Dysdaemonia australoboreas: approx. wingspan: ms: 141mm; f: 140mm // mfwl:69-73mm; ffwl: 67-72 mm Peru 350-2000m: Amazonas: Montenegro; Bagua Chica, Madre de Dios: Rio Carbon: Camicana Chico; Junin: Satipo: Calabaza, Rio Perene (Shima), Satipo: San Martin de Pangoa, Ucayali: Atalaya; northern Bolivia: N. Yungas (1000-1800m). am line deeply concave, meets inner margin more removed from pml line than in boreas; pm line consistently, evenly concave BOLIVIA Dysdaemonia undulensis: Dysdaemonia undulensis (forewing length: males: 54-57mm; females: probably larger) southern Bolivia: Tarija: Canadas (780m). The very scalloped pm line in both males and females quickly distinguises this species. The hyaline areas on all wings are very circular and are ringed in black. The two images below seem intermediate between concisa and australoboreas. The dark suffusions in the basal area are more suggestive of concisa; the concave pm line is more suggestive of australoboreas. I favour the latter. Dysdaemonia concisa/australoboreas male, 20-25 km W of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, January 4, 2010, 1000m, courtesy of Jason Weigner. Dysdaemonia concisa/australoboreas male, 20-25 km W of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, January 4, 2010, 1000m, courtesy of Jason Weigner. BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY Dysdaemonia fosteri: drier regions of Bolivia: Santa Cruz; northern Argentina: Jujuy to Misiones (EB); most of Paraguay 400 - 1200m; southern Brazil: Sao Paulo: Avanhandava (AVB), Parana: Tapejara (400-515m). Stong contrast between lines and wing regions. Pm line outwardly lined with wide, dark, very prominent suffusions. Fw hyaline areas irregular, hw hyaline area very circular; clearly ringed in dark brown to black. BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY Dysdaemonia concisa male Dysdaemonia concisa female Dysdaemonia concisa: (wingspan: males: 94-98mm approx.; females: 90mm approx.) (forewing length: male: 58-62mm) eastern Brazil: Ceara; Bahia: Barreiras; northwestern Minas Gerais: Unai. I suspect it also flies in Goias, Federal District, Tocantins, Maranhao and Piaui. am line meets inner margin closer to pm line than in brasiliensis; hw post median area wider in concisa than in brasilienis, otherwise two species are very similar Dysdaemonia concisa third instar Dysdaemonia brasiliensis: ws: m: 108-120mm; f: 118-120mm // mfwl: 60-62mm // ffwl: 62.6) southeastern Brazil: Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Sul; Argentina: Misiones; eastern Paraguay. Location is probably best aid in distinguishing concisa from brasiliensis with brasiliensis being a more southeasterly species. Both species are also very similar to boreas and australoboreas. I would not try to determine them without location.

Visit Dysdaemonia Summary, 2009, for more extensive notes.

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