DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris juarezia (wingspan: males: 67-70mm; females: mm // forewing length: males: 35-36mm; females: ??) flies in
Mexico: Oaxaca: Sierra Juarez, 1998-05-16;
Mexico: Oaxaca: Sierra de Juarez: Metates env., Jakubek, 2004-10-19;
Mexico: Oaxaca: Metates, Salk, 1998-07-05; (Mirror). it has been taken at elevations of 900-1050m.

This moth is apparently very similar to Automeris escalantei, but tends to be slightly larger than escalantei, and a tad smaller than altapazia.

Before DNA barcoding results added nine new species to the Automeris montezuma Group 7 list, I posted the following image on the Automeris escalantei page. I now think it is the recently (2011) described species Automeris juarezia.

Automeris escalantei (HT: Mexico: Chiapas; mfwl=33-35mm), Automeris juarezia (HT: Mexico: Oaxaca; mfwl=35-36mm) and Automeris altapazia (HT: Guatemala: Alta Verapaz; mfwl=37mm) are all quite similar and may or may not be sympatric. All have relatively uniform ground colour with little contrast and less yellow-gold than A. montezuma.

Based on the three images in Entomo Satsphingia Yahrgang 4 Heft 1 23 03 2011, Automeris juarezia is the species with the most preapical and most concave pm line. Automeris escalantei shows a slightly convex pm line, and the pm line of Automeris altapazia is almost straight with a slight out turn as it approaches the inner margin. The ouoter margin of escalantei is the most convex while that of altapazia is the least convex. I do not know if the characters noted above are consistent across a series of specimens.

Automeris juarezia courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

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

Automeris montezuma HT Mexico: Jalisco; mfwl: 29-32mm (28)
Automeris celata HT Costa Rica: Cartago; mfwl: 30-35mm (5)
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 parenthesis 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; 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)
Automeris paracelata HT Costa Rica: Puntarenas; 900m; mfwl: 30-32 (5); very similar to A. celata
Automeris choco HT Colombia: Choco; 1500m; mfwl: 28mm (1)
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).

Brechlin & Meister provide no additional range data beyond type locations for the newly described species. Perhaps the new species are very limited in their ranges, but it is also quite possible that a number of species are sympatric, and 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 Mexico in May, July and October (Mirror). There are probably additional flight months.

Host plants are as yet unknown.

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.

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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.

I am not aware of the source for Automeris, The species name, "juarezia", is indicative of a specimen type locale in Sierra Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico.