Caio richardsoni
KYE-ohmmrih-CHARD-son-eye
(Druce, 1890) Arsenura

Caio richardsoni male, courtesy of Chris Conlan

TAXONOMY: Superfamily Bombycoidea Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Arsenurinae, Jordan, 1922 Tribe: Arsenurini, Jordan, 1922 Genus: Caio, Travossa and Noronha, 1968

MIDI MUSIC "Wind Beneath My Wings" copyright C. Odenkirk MIDI CITY ON.OFF <bgsound src="wings.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

Caio richardsoni (wingspan: males: 115-145; females: 120-135mm) flies in
semi-arid regions of central and western Mexico: Sonora (JS), Sinaloa, Jalisco, Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, and probably Michoacan and Guerrero. Carlos Mielke has also sent images of specimens from the mountains of northwestern Guatemala: Huehuetenango.

Caio richardsoni male, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, courtesy of Carlos Mielke. copyright

Caio richardsoni female, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, courtesy of Carlos Mielke. copyright

The tail in this species is somewhat reduced compared to other species.

The darker morph, "mestiza", has more contrasting markings and fewer black dots.

Note the pointed outward extension of the forewing cell marking along wing vein M1.

Caio chiapasiana male top and female bottom to left,
Caio richardsoni male top and female bottom to right.

Based on the "composite plate" provided by John Kamps, Caio chiapasiana is a smaller, greyer moth whose pm lines (forewings and hindwings) run their courses much closer, relatively, to the body and to the cell than in Caio richardsoni.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Caio richardsoni larvae feed upon Kapok (Ceiba acuminata), and Floss-silk tree (Chorisia). Andre Brunschwiler reports success rearing larvae on Lime (Tilia).

Caio richardsoni (female), Mexico, courtesy of Eric van Schayck

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Caio richardsoni males use antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

Caio richardsoni male, Jalisco, Mexico, courtesy of Carlos Mielke. copyright

Caio richardsoni female, Jalisco, Mexico, courtesy of Carlos Mielke. copyright

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Larvae of this Saturniidae species are brightly coloured with a pronounced thoracic hump.

Caio richardsoni fifth instar on Tilia,
Oaxaca, Mexico, August 2011, courtesy of Andre Brunschwiler.

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.

Ceiba acuminata...... Chorisia Tilia (AB)

Kapok Floss-silk tree Lime

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

Caio, most often called Caligula, is one of the two heirs indicated by Tiberio in his will. Caligula was elected Emperor, ruled for a short time and fell victim to a conspiracy. He was murderd for his cruelty to the people.

The species name, richardsoni, is honourific for Richardson.