Hyperchiria jinotegaensis
Hyperchiria jinotegaensis
Brechlin & Meister 2010
Hyperchiria jinotegaenis male, Santa Maura, Jinotega, Nicaragua,
September, 1215m, courtesy of Jean-Michael Maes, id by Bill Oehlke.
Hyperchiria jinotegaenis female, 74mm, Jinotega, Nicaragua,
Entomo Satsphingia Jahrgang 3, Heft 5, 18.11, 2010; on my home computer only.
I am not sure of the identifications I have proposed above (pretty sure jinotegaensis above) or below (pretty sure guatemalensis below). The newly described
guatemalensis from eastern Guatemala, and the newly described jinotegaensis from northern Nicaragua are very similar. Documentation of a couple of specimens of
guatmalensis indicates a submontane species, flying at lower elevation, while jinotegaensis has been taken so far only at over 1180m.
TAXONOMY:
Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Hyperchiria, Hubner, [1819]
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DISTRIBUTION:
Hyperchiria jinotegaensis
(wingspan: males: mm; females: 72-74mm / forewing length:
males: mm; females: 36-37mm) flies in
Nicaragua: Jinotega: Santa Maura, Dantali El Diablo, collected or submitted by P. Schmit, 2006-09-14; 1185m.
Please note: The advent of DNA barcoding has resulted in many new descriptions (approximately 200 "new" Saturniidae species, 2010;
even more 2011-2013). In many cases the "new" species are quite similar to existing species. Do not be surprised if more refined testing or revisions of
"thresholds of difference" result in some synonymies or even more species/subspecies designations. Subsequent rearing may or may not indicate differences in
larval appearance. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
Hyperchiria jinotegaensis/guatemalensis??, La Muralla National Park, Olancho, Honduras,
64mm, June 16, 1996, 1420m, courtesy of Robert Lehman, id by Bill Oehlke.
Hyperchiria jinotegaenis/guatemalensis??, El Merendon, San Pedro Sula, Yoro, Honduras,
60mm, June 21, 1994, 1500m, courtesy of Robert Lehman, id by Bill Oehlke.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS: Specimens have been reported taken in September. There are probably additional flight months.
Hyperchiria jinotegaensis larvae probably eat Berberis lauina, Cassia corymbosa, Celtis spinosa, Fagus, Ficus benjamina, Laburnum,
Platanus orientalis, Quercus, Quercus ilex and Serjania.
Visit the Hyperchiria nausica Group to see a comparison plate covering the eleven species listed by
Brechlin and Meister, 2013, as belonging to the Hyperchiria nausica Group, which has species where the iris of the hindwing ocellus is orange.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Males use well-developed antennae to seek out females which scent at night.
EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:
Typical of species in the Genus Hyperchiria and the
Subfamily Hemileucinae, the larvae are armed with urticating spines.
Larval Food Plants
It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplants will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive.
Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.
Berberis lauina
Cassia corymbosa .......
Celtis spinosa
Fagus
Ficus benjamina
Laburnum
Platanus orientalis
Quercus
Quercus ilex
Serjania
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Barberry
Autumn senna
Hackberry
Beech
Benjamin tree
Bean tree
Oriental sycamore
Oak
Holly/Holm oak
Serjania
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