DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris metzli (wingspan: males: 102-125mm-130mm (RL); females: 109-140mm), (forewing length: males: 54-64mm; females; 61-72mm) flies in
Venezuela: Miranda, Distrito Federal, Aragua;
Trinidad;
Mexico: Tamaulipas, Sonora, San Luis Potasi, Veracruz, Jalisco, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo;
Belize: Cayo, Corazal and Toledo;
Guatemala: Alta Verapaz, Izabal (Chris Alexander), Santa Rosa (JM);
El Salvador: Ahuachapan;
Honduras: Olancho, Francisco Morazan (CL), and Atlantida, Francisco Morazán, Yoro (RC);
Nicaragua: Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Esteli, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Managua, Zelaya, Rio San Juan;
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Heredia, San Jose, Puntarenas (CL), Alajuela, Cartago, Limon (IB);
Panama: Chiriqui, Bocas del Toro, Darien (AA);
western Colombia: Valle del Cauca; and
northwestern Ecuador: Pichincha; Imbabura (1600m, JMG).

Dan Janzen indicates that those specimens previously classifed as A. metzli from Guanacaste, dry forest and rain forest, are now treated as Automeris dagmarae.

Automeris metzli male, 113 mm, Guerrero, Mexico,
courtesy of Kelly Price

Automeris metzli, Los Cedros, Imbabura, Ecuador,
1600m, courtesy of Jean-Marc Gayman, id by Bill Oehlke.

Automeris metzli, Los Cedros, Imbabura, Ecuador,
1600m, courtesy of Jean-Marc Gayman, id by Bill Oehlke.

Automeris metzli (male), possibly A. dagmarae from Venezuela,
courtesy of Bernhard Jost; note thinner, more irregular hw submarginal band.

The greyish body and broad, carmine submarginal band and inner border have resulted in Lemaire's grouping of janus, exigua and metzli.

In Costa Rica it has been recorded from sea level up to 1400m, with an unusual sighting in Mexico at 1850m.

Automeris metzli male, 4 km east of Golfito, Golfito Province, Costa Rica,
May 3, 2008, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Metzli is clearly lighter than the other two and has an elongated forewing with a straight postmedial line. Exigua has a straight postmedial line in contrast to the undulating line of janus. I have also noticed that metzli has the dark region just below the apex outside the pm line with a relatively smooth (straight) outer border, while the same region in exigua has a lower lobe projecting toward the outer margin.

Automeris metzli male, Mount Totumas Cloud Forest, Chiriqui, Panama.

The fw submarginal area of exigua also has darker scales near the outer margin while this same area in metzli is clear (light coloured).

The dark pm line is strongly preapical and meets the inner margin near its midpoint. The ground colour is light olive grey to pale tan with darker shading on both sides of the pm line. The marginal area is very light. The cell is outlined with a series of dark dots with a single center dot.

Automeris metzli, male, Darien, Panama, courtesy of Dr. Arthur Anker, STRI.

Visit Automeris metzli male, Miramundo, Santa Rosa, Guatemala, April 2008, courtesy of Jose Monzon.

Visit Automeris metzli male and female, La Muralla, National Park, Olancho, Honduras, 1420m, September 17, 1995, and male, La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras, June 6, 2008, 120m, courtesy of Robert Lehman.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Mexico: April-June, August-September
Guatemala: April, June, September
Honduras: June-July; (September (RL))
El Salvador: February, April-May
Costa Rica: February
Panama: June, August
Colombia: February-March, June, August, October, December
Ecuador: January

Data suggests there are probably at least three broods annually.

Automeris metzli larvae feed on Sycamore, Hawthorn, Oak, Apple and Kaffir boom/Coral tree.

Jan Hellert has reared A. metzli on Quercus robur, Quercus rubra and Fagus sylvatica.

Automeris metzli (female), Venezuela, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Automeris metzli female, Bonanza, Zelaya, Nicaragua,
November 15, 2000, courtesy of Jean-Michel Maes.

Automeris metzli female, Oaxaca, Mexico,
courtesy of Viktor Suter

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:

Large white eggs with a black micropyle are deposited in clusters of 6-40+ on hostplant twigs. Larvae have urticating spines and are gregarious, especially in early instars when the entire batch may cluster on the underside of a single leaf.

As the larvae develop, they become extremely colorful, and spines, which are perhaps less dense than in other Automeris species, are elongated and ornately branched.

The pupa is formed in a papery cocoon and is affixed by silk from the cremaster to the inside of the enclosure.

Automeris metzli, final instar, Viktor Suter, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

Automeris metzli fifth instar, Quirigua (Izabal), Guatemala, courtesy of Chris Alexander.

Automeris metzli third or fourth instar, Costa Rica, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Automeris metzli fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

Automeris metzli fifth instars, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

Automeris metzli fifth instars, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott.

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.

Crataegus Erythrina rubra Fagus sylvatica Platanus occidentalis Pyrus malus Quercus alba Quercus pubescens Quercus robur Quercus rubra Robinia pseudoacacia ......

Hawthorn Kaffir boom/Coral tree Beech Sycamore Apple White Oak Downy Oak English oak Northern red oak Black locust/False acacia

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