DISTRIBUTION:

Citheronia azteca (wingspan: males: 95-117mm; females: 151-152mm) flies in
central Mexico: Etat de Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo (KP), and Chiapas (RSL); and in
Belize and in
Guatemala: Baja Verapaz and San Marcos.

Male forewings are narrower than in regalis and yellow colouration is replaced by creamy white. The forewing veins are thickly outlined in reddish-orange.

Citheronia azteca male, Mexico,
courtesy of Viktor Suter.

Visit Cornell University Citheronia azteca azteca series, courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent.

Citheronia azteca, San Marcos, Guatemala, courtesy of Jose Monzon Sierra.

Jose Monzon sends this image from Suchitepequez, Reserva Refugio del Quetzal, Guatemala, taken in April. Because of the almost pure white, I regard it as C. a. albescens.

"Citheronia azteca male, Suchitepequez, Reserva Refugio del Quetzal, Guatemala,
April 2008, courtesy of Jose Monzon.

Citheronia azteca azteca male, Chiapas, Mexico,
Cornell University Collection, via Ryan Saint Laurent.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Citheronia azteca flies in June, and larvae feed on Brazil peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Laurel sumac (Rhus laurina) and Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina).

Citheronia azteca female, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

The slightly smaller, more brigthly coloured males use their more highly developed antennae to locate calling females at night.

Males of this subfamily have antennae which are quadripectinate for the basal two-thirds of their length.

Citheronia azteca courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara

Citheronia azteca female, by Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

Citheronia azteca female, 151mm, Hidalgo, Mexico, courtesy of Kelly Price

Citheronia azteca female, Mexico,
courtesy of Viktor Suter.

Citheronia azteca female, Mexico,
courtesy of Viktor Suter.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Eggs are relatively large and a translucent yellow. Incubation is seven to nine days, and larvae are well-adorned with large thoracic scoli.

Larvae are extremely colourful and armed with "horns" not as pronounced as some other members of this genus. Pupation is underground in a small cell. Leroy Simon image to the right.

Citheronia azteca larva, copyright protected, by Kirby Wolfe.

Citheronia azteca larva, Mexico,
courtesy of Viktor Suter.

Because of the differences in colouration of the larvae depicted above, it is quite likely one in nominate azteca while the other is subspecies albescens. Also note the orange spiracular circles, the brown instead of black head, and the spikey thoracic and anal horns on the lower image.

Wayne Whaley found the following larva feeding on Rhus trilobata from Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. Wayne writes, "It is most similar to C. splendens but not a perfect match. Any ideas? It is 6.5 cm (2.5 in.) long."

Citheronia azteca on Rhus triloba, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala,
courtesy of Wayne Whaley, id by Ryan St. Laurent.

Ryan St. Laurent confirms it as Citheronia azteca and indicates that the recently described C. chrisbrechlinae is a synonym of Citheronia azteca.

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.

Rhus laurina Rhus triloba (WW) Rhus typhina Schinus terebinthifolius.....

Laurel sumac Three-leaf sumac Staghorn sumac Brazil peppertree

Return to Citheronia Index

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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.

The source of the genus name "Citheronia" is probably Mount Citheron (Greek mythology), an untamed wilderness, exempt from the laws of civilization. The goddesses go naked there and are free from any of the pressures of society.

The species name "azteca" probably comes from a specimen type locality in Azteca, Mexico.

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