Rothschildia silkae
roths-CHILD-ee-uhMSILK-aye
Brechlin & Meister, 2012
Rothschildia fabiani (more likely silkae or undescribed), Mt. Totumas, Chiriqui, Panama,
courtesy of Albert Thurman.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
DISTRIBUTION:
Rothschildia silkae (wingspan: males: : females: mm // forewing length: males: 69mm; females: mm)
flies in
Costa Rica: Cartago; at elevations of m; and possibly in Panama: Chiriqui (AT/WO).
I think the image sent to me by Albert Thurman from Chiriqui, Panama is a better match for Rothschildia silkae than for any other known Saturniidae from southern Central America or northwestern South America. Because the hyaline spots do not meet the pm lines as in the HT for silkae, it is either a variation of silkae or something undescribed. It does appear slightly different from the males below which I had originally indicated as orizaba. I believe true orizaba orizaba from further north has a much more rounded forewing apex and larger hyaline regions.
Rothschildia orizaba orizaba male, (more likely silkae) Mount Totumas Cloud Forest Farm,
Chiriqui, Panama, 1650+ m, courtesy of Jeffrey Dietrich.
Rothschildia orizaba orizaba male, (more likely silkae) Mount Totumas Cloud Forest Farm,
Chiriqui, Panama, 1650+ m, courtesy of Jeffrey Dietrich.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
Specimens (single HT) have been taken in June at elevations near 1350m.
Rothschildia orizaba orizaba male (possibly silkae WO?), Kiri Lodge,
Orosi, Cartago, Costa Rica,
4000 feet, May 6, 2008, courtesy/copyright of
Leroy Simon
Rothschildia orizaba orizaba male, (possibly silkae WO?) courtesy/copyright of
Leroy Simon
Slightly different color settings make the same moth look different.
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 anticipated foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.
Ailanthus altissima..... |
Ailanthus |
Return to Rothschildia 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 male contempory/friend/collector/etc.
The genus name "Rothschildia" probably was chosen to honour W. Rothschild.
The species name, "silkae", is honorific for Silk.