NORTHEAST BRAZIL: RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

Many thanks go to all the individuals who have contributed images and/or information and have helped with identifications and corrections to flesh out the active links listed below.

These provisional checklists of the different Saturniidae subfamilies/tribes have been largely created by going through the information provided in the four great Saturniidae works by the late Dr. Claude Lemaire of France: Attacidae (1978), Arsenurinae (1980), Ceratocampinae (1988) and Hemileucinae (2002). Dr. Lemaire's confirmations for Rio Grande do Norte are indicated with an asterisk (*).

I have made many of my own interpolations from those works, particularly if a species was described from surrounding Brazilian states or other nearby countries with a similar biome. Those interpolations are followed by "?" to indicate I have no confirmed reports, but I anticipate the species has a range including the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

The Brazilian states in the North Region and the Northeast Region have not been sampled for Saturniidae nearly as well as those states in the South, Southeast, and Center-West Regions. I suspect there could be many omissions in these listings.

However, due to climate and geography there may not be very many Saturniidae species found in this state. I believe the forests have also been substantialy degraded for firewood and building materials.

"Two climates predominate: humid tropical, in the oriental littoral, and semi-arid, in the remaining (most part) of the State (including the North coast). The rainforest which once covered most of Brazil's coast had its northern end in the south of Rio Grande do Norte; the area north of Natal, the capital, is under dunes, a kind of formation associated with semi-arid climate.

"The semi-arid climate is characterized not only by the low level but also the irregularity of rainfall; some years can go by with no or very little rain; most of the interior of the State is part of the Polygon of Droughts (an area which receives special attention from the federal government). There are also many mangroves in the state, and the interior is dominated by rainforest. Rocas Atoll in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 km Northeast of Natal, also belongs to the state of Rio Grande do Norte." Wiki

The Saturniidae present are likely in the southwestern interior rainforest. Claude ALemaire confirms three Ceratocampinae, and I have added some possiblities which have been confirmed in Paraiba. However, Francierlem Oliveira has sent images (2016) of three Saturniidae species from Extremoz in southeastern Rio Grande do Norte.

Francierlem Oliveira from Extremoz in the southeast of Rio Grande do Norte provides the following images of what I believe is a specimen of Hyperchiria bahisa, described from near Camacan, Bahia, Brazil.

Hyperchiria bahisa male, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Hyperchiria bahisa fifth instar, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Hyperchiria bahisa fifth instar, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

I think those specimens previously mentioned by Lemaire as Hyperchiria incisa gadouae from north eastern Brazil, are probably H. incisioides and H. bahisa with bahisa having the more produced forewing apex.

There is also a good possibility that those species liested as Othorene purpuracens from RN could be Othorene kitchingi or Othorene cearaiana.

Automeris bilinea female, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte,
courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, id by Bill Oehlke.

Dirphia moderata final instar, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
April 13, 2016, courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, id by Bill Oehlke.

Dirphia moderata, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
April 22, 2016, courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira, id by Bill Oehlke.

Many new species have been described worldwide since the publications of Dr. Lemaire works and much effort has been made and continues to be made with revisions to the lists. Those species recently described in the Entomo-Satsphingia Journals: 2008-2015, by Brechlin & Meister have an (e) following their names. I haven't seen any new ones for Rio Grande do Norte.

This website is designed and maintained by Bill Oehlke who can be reached at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com. If you have additions, corrections, data, images, etc., please send to Bill Oehlke.

I have added Rio Grande do Norte to the range of Leucanella memusae memusae, based on the following image.

Leucanella memusae memusae fourth-fifth instars, Extremoz Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
April 6, 2016, courtersy of Francierlem Oliveira.

Francierlem has also sent images of the female of Leucanella memusae memusae, now posted on the memusae file.

Arsenurinae none reported Arsenura meander ? Paradaemonia balsasensis ? Paradaemia berlai ? Saturniinae Rothschildia prionia fo Ro. speculifera rubra fo or Ro. aurota aurota ?

Ceratocampinae three species reported Adeloneivaia minuta ? Citheronia laocoon * Citioica anthonilis ? Dacunju jucunda ? Eacles imperialis cacicus fo or Eacles imperialis magnifica fo Eacles manuelita ? Oiticella brevis ? Othorene kitchingi ? Othorene cearaiana ? Othorene purpurascens * Psilopygida walkeri ? Ptiloscola cinerea ? Scolesa nebulosa ?, fo Syssphinx molina *

Hemileucinae none reported Automeris a. amoena ? Automeris bilinea fo Automeris egeus ? Automeris elcearaiana ? Automeris granulosa fo Dirphia fraterna fo Dirphia moderata fo Dir. rubricauda fo Dirphia tarquinia ? Eubergia argyrea fo Hylesia ebalus ? Hyperchiria bahisa fo Hyperchiria i. gadouae ? Hyperchiria incisoides? Leucanella m. memusae fo Lonomia obliqua ? Periphoba courtini ?BA Periphoba galmeidai ?MA Periphoba moseri ?MA Periphoba pessoai ?CE Periphoba tangerini ?DF Psuedautomeris erubescens ?

Periphoba fifth instar, Extremoz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil,
September 8, 2016, courtesy of Francierlem Oliveira.

I favour Periphoba courtini for the above image as it is described from similar habitat in eastern Bahia.

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

Studies on Sphinigidae in this state indicate there are likely only three resident species: Neogene dynaeus, Callionima grisescens, and Hyles euphorbiarum. Other species which have been taken in small numbers are probably only migratory and appear only in the wet season.

Francierlem Oliveira has also provided images of Agrius cingulata, Cocytius antaeus, Manduca rustica rustica, Manduca sexta paphus, Neogene dynaeus, Protambulyx strigilis, Aellopos tantalus ?, Aellopos titan ?, Aleuron iphis ? Callionima grisesescens elegans, Enyo lugubris, Erinnyis ello, Erinnyis obscura, Eupyrrhoglossum sagra, Isognathus caricae, Perigonia pallida, Pseudosphinx tetrio , Eumorpha fasciatus , Eumorpha vitis , Xylophanes tersa.

Emerson Azevedo has provided an image of Erinnyis ello from Mossoro.

Visit Rio Grande do Norte Sphingidae.

Visit Sphingidae of Brazil.

Erinnyis ello in Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte.

Sphingini Agrius cingulatafo* Cocyt. antaeus fo* Mand. brasiliensis* M. rust. rustica fo* Neogene dyn. dynaeus *

Smerinthini Prot. s. strigilis fo*

Dilophonotini Aell. tantalus fo? Aell. titan fo? Aleuron iphis fo C. gris. elegans fo* Enyo lugubris fo* Erinnyis alope * Erinn. e. ello ea/fo* Erinnyis lassauxi * Erinn. obscura */fo Eupyrr. sagra fo Isognathus caricae fo Perigonia pallida fo Perigonia pittieri* Pseudosph. tetrio *

Philampelini Eum. fasciatus fo* Eum. labruscae* Eumorpha vitis*/fo

Macroglossini H. euphorbiarum Xyloph. tersa fo*