DISTRIBUTION:

Dirphia horcana (wingspan: males: 70-75mm; females: 91mm) flies in
Costa Rica: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose; and
Panama: Chiriqui.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing January, May, June, August-September and November, suggesting continuous broods.

Larval hosts include: Ardisia crassiramea, Cavendishia bracteata, Chrysochlamys psychotriifolia, Conostegia montana, Gonocalyx pterocarpus, Miconia lonchophylla, Myrcine coriacea, Panopsis suaveolens, Schwartzia costaricensis, Vaccinium poasanum, Weinmannia alata.

Dirphia horcana female, Chiriqui, Panama,
2000m, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to locate females by tracking their airbourne pheromone plumes.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphia species all have urticating spines. Photo courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Listed below are the primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. In this case, the list comes from extensive foodplant research of Dan Janzen. 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.

Ardisia crassiramea Cavendishia bracteata Chrysochlamys psychotriifolia Conostegia montana Gonocalyx pterocarpus Miconia lonchophylla Myrcine coriacea Panopsis suaveolens Schwartzia costaricensis Vaccinium poasanum Weinmannia alata

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