DISTRIBUTION:

Lonomia columbiana (forewing length: males: 39-49mm; females 47-61mm) flies in
Colombia: Magdalena (CL), Valle del Cauca (ARA), Boyaca (ARA) and Nariono (ARA);
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Heredia, San Jose, Puntarenas
and western Ecuador: Carchi (LTR), Pichincha and Canar, and probably in
Panama. Jean Michel Maes reports it in Nicaragua: Chontales. I suspect it is also in the eastern lowlands.

Specimens have been taken at elevations from sea level to 1000m.

Examination of genitalia is needed for proper identification of Lonomia columbiana.

Lonomia columbiana pair, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

Examination of genitalia is usually required to confirm identification of this species.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing throughout the year, suggesting at least three to four broods annaully.

The larval host is unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING: Females emit a scent into the night sky. Males fly into the wind and track the pheromone plume with their antennae. Lonomia columbiana female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Lonomia species all have urticating spines.

Larvae are gregarious.

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. Additional foodplants have been included from other sources.

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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.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Lonomia" chosen by Walker in 1855.

The species name "columbiana" is probably for the holotype location in Colombia.

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