Arsenura batesii arcaei
Ar-sen-OOR-uhMBAYTS-ee-eyeMARK-kay-eye
Druce, 1886
Arsenura batesii arcaei *, courtesy of Entomo Service
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"The Girl from Ipanema"
midi by Mel WebbON.OFF |
DISTRIBUTION:
The Arsenura batesii arcaei moth
(wingspan: males: 118-175mm; females: 112-194mm) flies in wetlands of
Nicaragua: Rio San Juan;
Honduras (JM);
Costa Rica: Alajuela, Guanacaste,
Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose (IB);
Panama: Chiriqui (probably everywhere);
western Colombia: Valle, Cundinamarca,
and probably Choco and Nariono;
western Ecuador:
Carchi WO?,
Imbabura WO?,
Pichincha CL (Los Bancos HK),
Guayas CL,
Manabi CL,
and Esmeraldas LTR,
Canar LTR; and
in Brazil: Amazonas; and
French Guiana *:
Inini, Saul, Kaw, Roura, Cacao (OM);
Suriname: Brokopondo: Brownsberg (JvB);
and probably Guyana, preferring elevations between 500-1000 meters above
sea level.
Based on the following image, I feel this subspecies may also fly in Bolivia: La Paz.
The outer margins are not as wavy as I would expect from the nominate subspecies, which has been reported in Bolivia.
Arsenura batesii arcaei male, Taipiplaya, Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia,
February 8, 2006, photo by Peter Møllmann, via Lars Andersen.
Arsenura batesii arcaei male, Brownsberg National Park, Brokopondo, Suriname,
July 8, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch.
Arsenura batesii arcaei *, January, wingspan 145mm, by Stephane
Vassel
38 kilometers on the Kaw road after Roura village (Regina Province)
in French Guiana.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
There are probably at least two generations of Arsenura batesii arcaei on the wing each year from January to February and in July. FGS reports a flight in November.
Moths prefer a light rain and are on the wing from 12:10-3:30 am.
In Costa Rica, Dan Janzen reports them on Apeiba tibourbou, Byttneria catalpifolia, Guazuma ulmifolia, Helicteres baruensis, Helicteres guazumifolia, Heliocarpus americanus, Luehea candida, Luehea seemannii, Luehea speciosa, Mortoniodendron guatemalense, Pachira aquatica, Pseudobombax septenatum, Quararibea funebris, Theobroma bicolor, Triumfetta bogotensis, Triumfetta lappula.
Horst Kach adds Ceiba to the list.
Arsenura batesii arcaei, female, western Ecuador, Wing span: approx. 157 mm, courtesy of Kelly Price.
Arsenura batesii moth (female) courtesy of
Thibaud Decaens.
Frederic Beneluz indicates the female above is a true A. batesii arcaei.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Arsenurini males use their antennae to seek out females which scent at night.
Arsenura batesii arcaei *, male, French Guiana, courtesy of Carlot Didier.
EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:
Eggs are off-white and slightly ovate.I suspect they are deposited in clusters as per other Arsenurinae species, but I have no first hand knowledge. A single egg is depicted to the right. These images by Dan Janzen are from Costa Rica and may be of subspecies arcaei. |
 |
Larvae are quite interesting with anal horns and thoracic "tentacles", especially well developed in the early instars. |  |
Larvae get quite large and change considerably with development.Most of the enlarged scoli (posterior and anterior) have all but disappeared by final instar. |
 |
Arsenura batesii arcaei first instar on Ceiba,
Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador, courtesy of
Horst Kach.
Arsenura batesii arcaei second instar on Ceiba,
Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador, courtesy of
Horst Kach.
Arsenura batesii arcaei third instar on Ceiba,
Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador, courtesy of
Horst Kach.
Arsenura batesii arcaei fourth instar on Ceiba,
Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador, courtesy of
Horst Kach.
Arsenura batesii arcaei fourth instar on Ceiba,
Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador, courtesy of
Horst Kach.
Pupation is in an underground chamber.Pupae are long and relatively smooth and slender. |  |
Larval Food Plants
It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.
Apeiba tibourbou |
Apeiba tibourbou |
The pronunciation of scientific names is
troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is
merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly
accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some
fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.
The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages,
are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal
ears as they read.
There are many collectors from different countries whose
intonations and accents would be different.
Some of the early describers/namers chose genus
and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more
often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or
history. Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a
specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour
a contempory friend/collector/etc.
I do not know the source of the genus
name "Arsenura" chosen by Duncan in 1841.
The species name "batesii" is honourific for Bates.
The subspecies name "arcaei" is honourific for Arce.
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