DISTRIBUTION:

Lemaireodirphia albida (wingspan: males: 90mm; females: 98mm // forewing length: males: 41-48mm; females: 46-52mm) flies in
Mexico: Oaxaca; Chiapas; at elevations near 700-2479m. This is a relatively common species.

The diffuse black am line is outwardly bordered by a very wide tracing of white, and the diffuse, black, broadly preapical pm line has a very broad, prominent, inward tracing of white.

The upper half of the forewing submarginal area has strong suffusions of charcoal grey while the lower half is much whiter. A diffuse, jagged white submarginal band delineates the marginal area which has strong charcoal grey, intraneural suffusions between the prominent black veins.

Visit Lemaireodirphia Comparison Chart.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larvae have been reared in Germany on Quercus (oak), Fagus (beech) and Rosa (rose).

This species is on the wing in May (BW)-June and September-November, suggesting at least two to three annual broods. There are probably additional flight months.

Bernhard Wenczel reports this species from San Jose de Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico, at elevations near 2400m in willow, oak, pine forest habitat. Perhaps larvae will feed on all three of those trees.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen, and the night-flying males pickup and track the airbourne pheromone plume with their well-developed antennae.

Lemaireodirphia albida female, Mexico: Oaxaca, San Jose del Pacifico,
16°09’19.96’’N 96°29’44.86’’W,
2460 m, 23.V.2015, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

Lemaireodirphia albida, female, oak, pine, willow habitat,
San Jose de Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico,
2400m, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

This is apparently a very variable species based on the differences from the AT female from ESs journal and the female specimen sent to me by Bernhard Wenczel even though they are from the same location.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Lemaireodirphia albida larvae are highly gregarious and have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae.

Lemaireodirphia albida, seventh instar, oak, pine, willow habitat,
San Jose de Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico,
2400m, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Larval Food Plants

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 closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Fagus Quercus ....... Rosa

Beech Oak Rose

Return to Lemaireodirphia Index

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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.

The genus name "Lemaireodirphia" is both honourific of Claude Lemaire and indicative of a great similarity to moths in the genus Dirphia.

The species name "albida" is indicative of the broad, very prominent, unbroken, white, inward tracing of the pmline and outward tracing of the amline.

Support this website and visit other insect sites by clicking flashing butterfly links to left or right.

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

Lemaireodirphia albida HT male, Oaxaca, Mexico,
on my home computer only.

Lemaireodirphia albida AT female, Oaxaca, Mexico,
on my home computer only.