Dirphia panamensis
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February 2008
Updated as per French Guiana Systematique, February 2008

Dirphia panamensis panamensis
Schaus, 1921

Dirphia panamensis panamensis pair courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Dirphia, Hubner, 1819

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DISTRIBUTION:

Dirphia panamensis panamensis (wingspan: males: 66-84mm; females: 79-113mm) flies from
Panama;
Colombia: Huila, El Putumayo;
Venezuela ?? to
French Guiana: Cayenne, Regina, Kaw;
Brazil: Para, Mato Grosso,Mato Grosso do Sul; especially along the western Andean slopes and Guyano-Amazonia in humid to dry tropical forests (0 -1500 m).

The Paraguay Biodiversity website reports it from Paraguay: Guaira, but no image accompanies the record. It could be an error or either D. p. panamensis or D. p. fassli.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are observed in January-March, May, August-September and December, suggesting multiple broods.

Larvae feed upon Salix, Schinus terebinthifolius and Robinia pseudoacacia.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to locate females at night by tracking her airbourne pheromone plume.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

White eggs with a black micropyle are laid in large clusters and larvae feed gregariously. Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphia species all have urticating spines.

Image courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

Dirphia panamensis decolor male courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

Listed below are the primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. 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.

Robinia pseudoacacia.......
Salix
Schinus terebinthifolius

Black locust/False acacia
Willow
Brazil peppertree

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Dirphia panamensis panamensis male, Kaw, French Guiana,
February 1982, collection of Bruno Penin, photo copyright Rene Lahousse,
French Guiana Systematique.

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