DISTRIBUTION:

Rothschildia orizaba uruapana flies in Uruapan in the Rio Balsa Valley in Michoacan,
Mexico, at lower elevations (1620m) than the nominate subspecies.

It is described as having a more reddish brown ground colour and squarer wings than orizaba orizaba.

The prothoracic collar of the Orizaba Group (orizaba, aurota, chiris, roxana) is brown, only slightly bordered in white. These moths tend to be very large.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species will probably accept Ligustrum (privet), lilac, ailanthus and oak and maybe cherry.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Like most of the Rothschildia, except for the diurnal zacateca, this species calls and pairs at night.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

It is interesting to watch Rothschildia fashion their cocoons. A strong peduncle with a few support silk strands secures the structure while the larva continues "padding its nest" with a continuous back-and-forth movement of the head.

There are both inner and outer cocoons, each with a relatively long valve to facilitate eclosions.

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.

Ailanthus altissima..... Ligustrum Quercus Syringa vulgaris

Ailanthus Privet Oak Common lilac

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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.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

"Rothschildia" is chosen to honour one of the Rothschilds, possibly William.

The species name, orizaba, is the name of a large city in the Mexican state of Veracruz.

The subspecies name, uruapana, is for the distribution near Uruapan, a city in central Michoacán, in southwestern Mexico.