DISTRIBUTION:

Copaxa rudloffi (wingspan: males: 91-97mm; females: mm // forewing length: males: 48-54mm; females: 51mm) flies in
Costa Rica: Puntarenas; Guanacaste (GK) and
Nicaragua: Managua; at elevations of 860m.

Copaxa rudloffi male, Rincon de la Vieja Lodge, Guanacaste, Costa Rica,
June 10, 2008, 624m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

The moth directly above from Puntarenas could also be Copaxa rufinans or Copaxa moinieri, but I favour rudloffi over moinieri for the reasons stated below, and I think the apices in rufinas are slightly more produced. I could be wrong.

Males have both red forms and brown forms.

It is considerably smaller than Copaxa moinieri which has a male forewing length of 60-62mm, but the apex tends to be more produced in the smaller rudloffi.

Copaxa rudloffi also tends to show more contrast and more red than in the more evenly coloured, lighter brown moinieri.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Copaxa rudloffi larvae probably feed upon avocado (Persea americana).

Most of the Copaxa brood continuously so I suspect rudloffi would be on the wing every month of the year. Specimens have been taken in May and September.

This species is quite similar to C. moinieri (mfwl:60-62mm), but C. rudloffi is much smaller. There are both reddish and brown forms of Copaxa rudloffi.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Male Copaxa rudloffi moths use highly developed antennae to locate females by tracking the airbourne pheromone plume. The female releases this scent into the air via an organ extended from the tip of the abdomen.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closelyrelated foodplants is worthwhile.

Persea americana .......

Avocado

The species name is honourific for Jan-Peter Rudloff.

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