DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris jinotegana (wingspan: males: 52-57mm; females: mm // forewing length: males: 27-30mm; females:) flies in
Nicaragua: Nicaragua: Jinotega: El Gobiado: `Lina Herreda`, collected by Pierre Schmit, 2006-09-15;
Nicaragua: Jinotega: Santa Maura, Dantali El Diablo, collected by Pierre Schmit, 2006-09-14.

If my identification at the top of the page is correct, it also flies in Grenada, Nicaragua.

It has been taken at elevations from 1185m to 1280m.

I am writing this description of jinotegana as I am looking at it in the journal: Forewing ground colour is a uniform dark grey-brown. There is little to no contrast between subterminal and terminal areas of the forewing. The pm line is dark, almost completely straight except for slight out turns at junctures with costa and inner margin. The am line is scarcely visible, and the cell mark appears small and scarcely visible. There is no hint of yellow-gold scale son the forewing. The outer margin is only slightly convex, and the apex is neither produced, not pointed.

The hindwing median band is dark black, outwardly traced by a band that is more grey than pink, followed by a dark grey-brown band that is almost concolorous with the marginal band. These two band merge before meeting the inner margin so that the lighter band terminartes before the inner margin.

Here is a translation of the description written in German in the journal: Male forewing length of 27-30mm in 7 specimens is very similar to that of A. managuana whose male forewing length from a single specimen is 30mm. A. jinotega differs from its closest relatives by its very uniform (flat), dark ground colour and small cell mark.

In his Hemileucinae 2002 Lemaire recognizes four species in the Automeris montezuma Species Group 7:

Automeris montezuma HT Mexico: Jalisco; mfwl: 29-32mm (28); ground colour grey with darker basal area, and silvery suffusion in median area; strong presence of yellow gold at vein pm line junctures, at apices of cell mark and along outer edge of am line
Automeris celata HT Costa Rica: Cartago; mfwl: 30-35mm (5); ground colour: yellow-grey-brown with heavier grey suffusion in basal area; fw pm line: inwardly highlighted by diffuse narrow band of lighter-yellow scales with continuous suffusion of yellow into the median area; pm line relatively thin, almost concolorous with subterminal area; outer margin slightly convex
Automeris escalantei HT Mexico: Chiapas; 32-35mm (12)
Automeris pallidior HT Guatemala: Baja Verapaz or Costa Rica; mfwl: 26-30mm (15).

Lemaire indicates additional range data (countries) for the four species listed above. Some of that data, other than Holotype may apply to the newer species listed below that were not recognized by Lemaire as distinct. The number in parentheses indicates the sample size. Forewing length and range may change considerably as more specimens are sampled.

In Entomo Satsphingia, Jahrgang 4 Heft 1 23 03 2011 by Brechlin and Meister, those authors add nine species to the Automeris montezuma Species Group 7:

Automeris juarezia HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 900-1050m; mfwl: 35-36 (8) uniform ground colour; concave, broadly preapical pm line
Automeris altapazia HT Guatemala: Alta Verapaz; 1200m; mfwl: 37mm (1); specimen in Lemaire 2002, Plate 60: 10 is A. altapazia
Automeris wernermeisteri HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 1023-1530m; mfwl: 32-33mm (12); pale ground colour; thick, dark pm line very concave; very small hw ocellus; hw median band divides wing into inner 2/3 and outer 1/3; similar to A. pallidior
Automeris managuana HT Nicaragua: Managua; 865m; mfwl: 30mm (1); lighter median area, contrasting om area,; lines outlined in lighter scales on facing sides
Automeris jinotega HT Nicaragua: Jinotega; 1185-1280m; mfwl: 27-30mm (7) uniform, dark grey-brown, with little contrast; both small fw cell mark and am line scarcely visible
Automeris paracelata HT Costa Rica: Puntarenas; 900m; mfwl: 30-32 (5); very similar to A. celata, but more distinct fw pm line
Automeris choco HT Colombia: Choco; 1500m; mfwl: 28mm (1); evenly dark brown; slightly convex pm line, subparallel to slightly convex outer margin
Automeris stumpei HT Costa Rica: Limon; 1430m; mfwl: 34mm (1) almost straight pm line, subparallel to outer margin; fw: almost uniform light brown ground colour; hindwing ocellus with tiny white pupil
Automeris knorkeorum HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 677-1023m; mfwl: 30-32mm (5); fw: light coloured, bright; fw pm line slightly concave; small hindwing ocellus; hw median band divides hw in half.

Brechlin & Meister provide no additional range data beyond type locations for the newly described species in this group. Perhaps the new species are very limited in their ranges, but more likely ranges are more extensive and it is also quite possible that a number of species are sympatric. It would be a mistake to determine species strictly by stated location for the type specimens.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in Nicaragua in September (Mirror), and also in July if my id at top of page is correct.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use their more highly developed antennae to seek out females who release an airbourne pheromone into the night sky.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters of 6-40+ on hostplant twigs. Larvae have urticating spines and are gregarious, especially in the early instars.

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.

.......

The species name, jinotega, is indicative of a specimen type location in Jinotega, Nicaragua.

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