The following table is an attempt on my part to simplify identification of the many Meroleucoides species with a presence in Ecuador as of end of 2013.

In some cases it may be necessary to apply DNA barcoding analysis to determine the most cryptic species.

Females of many species have a semi translucent appearance to the wings. Some of the females (nigra and possibly dargei) of species found in Colombia have brachypterous (vestigial; greatly reduced, undeveloped) wings. Perhaps some of the unknown females elsewhere are of the same ilk.

The descriptions to the far right pertain to males.

For the most part Saturniidae species on the eastern slopes or eastern side of the Andes are distinct from thos on the western slopes or western side of the Andes. The following table will first cover those species found to the east of the Andean peaks in the provinces of Sucumbios, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Morona Santiango and Zamora-Chinchipe.

The vein labelling is to help with descriptions of several similar species whose main difference is in the shape of the forewing pm line. In penai from Sucumbios and Napo the pre-apical pml is oblique and straight to middle of M2-M3 where it turns outward, projecting significantly to a point middle M3-Cu1 and a second point middle Cu1-Cu2 before returning in a concave arc to the inner margin. In sangayana from Morona Santiago the slightly pre-apical pm line is concave from costa to M3, outwardly produced and convex from M3 to A1 where it turns downward and slightly outward in its course to the inner margin. In zunacensis from Morona Santiago the more broadly pre-apical pm line is straight to slightly convex from costa to M2, slightly outwardly produced from M2 to A1 where it turns downward and slightly outward in its course to the inner margin. penai male 60-65mm; 2600-3100m Napo; Sucumbios penai female 77mm; 2600-3100m Napo; Sucumbios sorry, no image of the female available at this time The male shows considerably more orange in the marginal areas, compared to other species Undivided pale creamy-orange cell mark; dull orange ground colour with linnear grey suffusions between veins; hw darker, more greyish with tiny creamy orange cell mark sangayana male 48mm; 2650-2940m Morona Santiago: Sangay NP sangayana female 58-60mm; 2650-2940m Morona Santiago: Sangay NP brighter yellow fws; yellow cell marks; browner fws in bipunctata with white cell marks hws greyer; browner in bipunctata; light outer tracing of pml zunacensis male 53mm; 2650-3100m Morona Santiago: Zunac Village, Sangay NP zunacensis female 62mm; 2650-3100m Morona Santiago: Zunac Village, Sangay NP largest and darkest (grey-brown) of similar MS species; lacks diffuse median bands; forewing cell mark: orangey-yellow; quite prominent; upper third of pml is straight zamorana male Zamora-Chinchipe male unknown as of end of 2013 Female is similar to sangayana zamorana female 54mm; 2700m Zamora-Chinchipe chrisbrechlinae male 47mm; 3180m Morona Santiago chrisbrechlinae female 62mm; 3180m Morona Santiago bipectinata male 45-46mm; 2500m Zamora Chinchipe bipectinata female bipunctata male 54mm; Morona-Santiago; Napo bipunctata female 69mm Morona-Santiago; Napo White cell mark: single or divided; orange-brown gc, with heavy black areas. white streak at cell base. strong inturn of diffuse median band near costa rectilineata male 60-65mm; 2150-2700m Napo; Suc.; Mor. Santiago rectilineata female 70-73mm; 2150-2700m Napo; Suc.; Mor. Santiago Single white discal streak. Orangey-brown gc, generous sufusion of dark scales. Diffuse black median band quite straight as is broad, diffuse white pm band famula male 49mm; 3100-3700m Napo (slopes of Quinlandana Volcano); Cotopaxi famula female 63mm; 3100-3700m Napo (slopes of Quinlandana Volcano); Cotopaxi Fw cell: thin, yellow Gc: brown-grey; slightly translucent. outer half of upper costa yellow. No median band, faint pml Hw w/o marks. Western Species kaechi male 63mm; 2710-3000m Carchi: El Angel Ecological Reserve kaechi female 67mm; 2710-3000m Carchi: El Angel Ecological Reserve orange cell mark; diffuse, dark pml almost straight to Cu1, inturns to Cu2, drops w slight concave arc to inner margin winbrechlini male Azuay winbrechlini female Azuay arianae male Azuay arianae female Azuay The female is unknown as of the end of 2013 edithae male Azuay edithae female Azuay saragurensis male Loja male unknown as of end of 2013 saragurensis female Loja albomaculata male Zamora Chinchipe; Loja; 2700m albomaculata female Rounded, uniformly black forewings have convex outer margin. Large white, comma-shaped discal spot (left forewing), sometimes divided into two sections. Fringes black with white spot between each pair of veins. The hindwings are marked the same. erythropus male 63-72mm; 2600-4100m Pichincha; Imbabura erythropus female 77-79mm; 2600-4100m Pichincha; Imbabura white to creamy-white bipartite forewing cell marks: dull yellow gc with heavy, almost linnear suffusions of dark grey-brown to black between veins laverna male Imbabura; Mor. Santiago?? laverna female microstyx male Azuay: Andean Corridor; Nebon; 3200m microstyx female nadiana male Pichincha nadiana female nata male nata female riveti male 45mm; 3792m Canar? riveti female 3792m female unknown as of end of 2013, Male: convex pm line is subparallel to and close to outer margin Fw cell: thick transverse yellow streak. Forewings slightly elongate. Black, slightly sinuate pm line, outwardly shaded with yellow, runs relatively close to o. m.

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