DISTRIBUTION:

Lonomia mexilectra (wingspan: males: 72-78mm; females: 108-111mm // forewing length: males: 37-40mm; females: 55mm) flies in
Mexico: Oaxaca (HT): rd. San Gabriel-San Pedro, collected or submitted by Bernhard Wenczel, 2004-07-13; Chiapas: Lacanja, 2009-07-01; at elevations of 702-2200m.

It appears to be a fairly common species in Oaxaca.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Bernhard Wenczel reports success utilizing evergreen oak (Quercus thurneri) as a host.

Specimens have been taken in Mexico in April-May-June-July (Mirror). There are probably additional flight months.

Lonomia mexilextra female, Oaxaca, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use their more highly developed antennae to seek out females who release an airbourne pheromone into the night sky.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters of 6-40+ on hostplant twigs. Larvae have urticating spines and are gregarious, especially in the early instars. Bernhard Wenczel reports success rearing this species on evergreen oak (Quercus thurneri).

Bernhard reports he tried to overwinter pupae from the summer brood, but apparently they were not geared to overwinter and did not survive the prolonged chill. I suspect there would have been a fall flight in Mexico.

Lonomia mexilextra sixth instar, Oaxaca, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Lonomia mexilextra sixth instars, Oaxaca, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Larval Food Plants

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.

Quercus thurneri .......

Evergreen oak

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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 "mexilectra" is indicative of a moth similar to L. electra from a type location in Oaxaca, Mexico.

This page is designed and maintained by Bill Oehlke as part of the World's Largest Saturniidae Site.