DISTRIBUTION:

Othorene purpurascens (Type: French Guiana), (wingspan: males: 67-92mm; females: 79-115-121mm (NS) // forewing length: males: 37.6-40.0mm; females: 50.3mm) flies in
French Guiana: Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, Kaw;
Mexico: Chiapas;
Belize: Toledo: Mount Pine Ridge, and Cayo: Las Cuevas (NS);
Guatemala: Peten Itza and Tikal and (Izabal (JM));
Nicaragua: Jinotega, Matagalpa, Granada, Zelaya, Rio San Juan, Rte de Managua a Rivas;
Costa Rica: (Guanacaste: all specimens previously classified as O. purpurascens from Guanacaste are now classifed as O. intermedia), Heredia, Cartago and Puntarenas (CL), Alajuela, Limon, San Jose (IB);
Panama: Chiriqui;
Honduras: Atlantida, Olancho (RDC);
and probably in El Salvador);
Venezuela: Carabobo, Aragua, Mirando and Bolivar (possibly vanschayckorum in Venezuela: Merida);
Guyana: Omai;
Suriname: Brokopondo District: Brownsberg (JvB);
Brazil: Amapa, Para, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Distrito Federal, Goias, Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio grande do Sul;
Colombia: Valle, Meta, Narino, Caqueta (LRRV) and probably Amazonas and Putamayo;
Ecuador: Pichincha, Canar, Loja, Napo and Morona-Santiago and in Esmeraldas (HK) and (probably Pastaza, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Bolivar, Azuay, Chimborazo, Carchi and Imbabura (WO?)) ;
Peru: Amazonas (LTR), Loreto, Huanuco, Cuzco and Madre de Dios and probably San Martin, Pasco and Junin;
and Bolivia: La Paz (probably O. lapaziana in Bolivia).

Othorene purpurascens male (Probably Othorene vanschayckorum), courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Othorene purpurascens male, Yasuni National Park (Napo), Ecuador,
October 1, 2003, courtesy/copyright Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson.

Othorene purpurascens female, Honduras, courtesy of Ronald D. Cave.

Initially I was not sure of the identification of the R. D. Cave image from Honduras. I did not know if it was verana or purpurascens. Kirby Wolfe confirmed it as purpurascens and writes, "The Othorene is a female of purpurascens. This species usually has the pm line of the forewing less distinct than verana, among other things."

Othorene purpurascens?? female, Las Cuevas, Cayo District, Belize,
121mm, courtesy of Art Gilbert and Norm Smith.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Othorene purpurascens probably have at least two broods annually with peak flights in April-May and August. Specimens have been taken in Nicaragua in April and August-November. Johan van't Bosch reports a July 7, 2011, flight in Brownsberg, Brokopondo District, Suriname.

Specimens have been taken in January-February and September-October in Rio Grande do Sul in southeastern Brazil.

Othorene purpurascens male, Brownsberg, Brokopondo District, Suriname,
July 7, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch, id by Bill Oehlke.

Othorene purpurascens male, Bergendal Resort, Brokopondo, Suriname,
74mm, February 20, 2018, 11m, courtesy of Tim Taylor.

Othorene purpurascens male, Rosebel, Brokopondo, Suriname,
75mm, February 17, 2018, 26m, courtesy of Tim Taylor.

Othorene purpurascens male, Rosebel, Brokopondo, Suriname,
75mm, February 17, 2018, 26m courtesy of Tim Taylor.

Larvae feed upon Manilkara chicle, Psidium and Terminalia catappa. Mike Buczkowski reports success with larva on Red Bud crabapple/Siberian crabapple (Malus baccata).

Bernhard Wenczel re4ports success on Quercus turneri for larvae from Guatemala.

Host families in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Combretaceae, Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae.

Othorene purpurascens male, courtesy of Entomo Service

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Both sexes come in to lights with peak activity from 11:30 pm until 2:00 am.

Othorene purpurascens female, French Guiana, courtesy of Carlot Didier.

Othorene purpurascens pair, Franz Ziereis.

The following image from Para, Brazil, is very dark and may well be cearaiana, kitchingi or something else. The outer margin does not seem as convex as I would expect for purpurascens, but that appearance could be due to angulation/orientation of the wings.

Othorene purpurascens male, Para, Brazil,
February 25, 2018, courtesy of Geraldo Salgado.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Translucent, greenish-yellowish eggs are deposited on host foliage. Incubation is short, lasting only seven to eight days. Larvae are so spectacular that I have just posted a string of large Dan Janzen images. In fourth and fifth instars, both green and brown forms exist.

There is an additional larva image which you can access by clicking here.

Mature larvae descend trees to form a very rough pupa underground.

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.

Bernhard Wenczel sends this iamge of a fourth instar larva from Guatemala.

Othorene purpurascens fourth instar, Guatemala,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Othorene purpurascens fifth instar, Guatemala,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Othorene purpurascens fifth instar, Guatemala,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Malus baccata Manilkara chicle Psidium Quercus turneri Salix Terminalia catappa.......

Red Bud crabapple/Siberian crabapple (MB) Sapodilla Guava Turner's Oak Willow (FZ) Indian almond

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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.

I do not know the origin of the genus name Othorene.

The species name "purpurascens" probably refers to the purplish scales near the apex, basal area and on the forewing lines near the inner margin.