DISTRIBUTION:

Citheronia bellavista (wingspan: males: 79-106mm; females: 108-136mm) flies in
Nicaragua: road from Managua to Rivas, Madriz, Jinotega, Managua, Granada, Rio San Juan;
Honduras: Cortes and Yoro (RDC), Atlantida (RL);
Guatemala: Izabal (JM), Solola (JM), Suchitepequez (PHvAM): Patulul: Finca Tarrales;
Costa Rica: Guanacaste (possibility of one or more crytpic species in Guanacaste), Heredia, Limon and Puntarenas (CL), Alajuela, Cartago, San Jose (IB);
Panama: Chiriqui and Canal Zone;
western Colombia: Valle and Boyaca;
western Ecuador: Pichincha and probably Carchi and Imbabura;
and western Venezuela: Lara. Colombia is the specimen type locality and it is named for specific locale of Bella Vista, Colombia.

Citheronia bellavista female, wingspan 122mm, Honduras, courtesy of Ronald D. Cave.

Citheronia bellavista female, Finca Tarrales, Patulul, Suchitepequez, Guatemala,
1050m, August 2011, courtesy of Paul Holt, via Alan Marson,
digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

Citheronia bellavista bellavista female, Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador,
December 28, 2006, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Citheronia bellavista bellavista female (verso), Los Bancos, Pichincha, Ecuador,
December 28, 2006, courtesy of Horst Kach.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in April-May (CL) and again in December (HK). Robert Lehman reports a february flight in Honduras.

Citheronia beledonon larvae feed on Phoradenderon quadrangulare and Rhus laurina.

Citheronia bellavista 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 bellavista male (faded), La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras,
98mm, February 19, 2001, 100m, courtesy of Robert Lehman.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Eggs are relatively large and a translucent yellow. Incubation takes seven to nine days and larval development can be seen through the egg shell.

Citheronia bellavista larvae are typical of the genus in the first instar: dark with a white saddle and particularly well developed thoracic scoli.

Growth is rapid in the tropical warmth, but third instar larvae are still miniscule compared to the giants they will become.

Larval images on this page (above) are courtesy of Dan Janzen who has done much Saturniidae and Sphingidae research in Costa Rica. This fifth instar larva will soon descend the tree trunk in search of a pupation site. Pupation is underground in a small cell.

Citheronia bellavista bellavista larva copyright Kirby Wolfe

Larval Food Plants

The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Phoradenderon quadrangulare...... Rhus laurina

Mistletoe Laurel sumac

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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.

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 "bellavista" means beautiful view or picture.

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