MOLIPPA OF THE WORLD

The genus Molippa belongs to the Hemileucini Tribe of Subfamily Hemileucinae in the Saturniidae Family. Larvae have urticating spines, and members of this genus are found in Central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina.

Molippa basina, Venezuela, courtesy of Viktor Suter

Eggs are generally oval and whitish to brown with a black micropyle. Larvae have urticating spines of roughly the same length over the entire body with a pair of two small paranal scoli. The small, single-walled cocoon is sturdy, usually leaf-wrapped, and houses a short, stout, smooth pupa with a short cremaster.

Kirby Wolfe has done much work rearing the Molippa. He writes: "For Molippa I usually use Robinia when available or Acacia baileyana when Robinia is finished for the winter. Here is what I used on these species:
cruenta - Robinia & Acacia; recently moved to Austrolippa genus.
latemedia - Acacia
ninfa - Robinia;
wittmeri - Robinia & Acacia."

P indicates an image is available. The first country listed is the specimen type locality.

Listing of Molippa:

P azuelensis Lemaire, 1976 eastern Ecuador: Napo
P basina Maasen & Weyding, 1885 northern Venezuela: Federal District; Aragua;
P basinoides Bouvier, 1926 Brazil: Distrito Federal; Goias; Minas Gerais
P bertrandi Lemaire, 1982 Peru: Amazonas; San Martin
P bertrandoides Brechlin & Meister, 2008 Peru: Pasco
N bertranjunensis, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Peru: Junin
P binasa (Schaus, 1924) Argentina, Bolivia
P boliviana (Bouvier, 1930) Bolivia, Argentina
reinstated as full species from synonymity with M. latemedia
N coracoralinae Lemaire and Tangerini, n.s. Brazil
N flavodiosiana, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Peru: Madre de Dios
N flavopiurica, Brechlin & Meister 2011 western Peru: Piura
P flavotegana, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Nicaragua
P intermediata, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Peru
P kohlli Racheli, 2008 southern Peru
N larensis Lemaire, 1972 Venezuela
P latemedia (Druce, 1890) Ecuador, Colombia
Rhodormiscodes boliviana (Bouvier, 1930, Bolivia), is same as latemedia; reinstated as full species by Brechlin and Meister 2011
P luzalessarum Naumann, Brosch, & Wenczel, 2005 Peru
N malyi, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Colombia; possibly Ecuador: Sucumbios
P nibasa Maassen & Weyding, 1885 Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, ?? French Guiana.
P ninfa (Schaus, 1921) Mexico, Belize, Guatemala
P ninfaustralica, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Mexico, Guatemala
N pearsoni Lemaire, 1982 Brazil
P pilarae Naumann, Brosch, Wenczel, & Boettger, 2005 Peru
P placida (Schaus, 1921) French Guiana, Brazil; ?? Peru; ?? Ecuador
Rhodormiscodes amazonica Bouvier, 1930, Amazona, is a synonym for placida or possibly for M. malyi
P rosea (Druce, 1886) Mexico
P sabina Walker, 1855, Brazil
P simillima Jones, 1907 Brazil, possibly throughout most of South America
flavocrinata Mabilde, 1896, Brazil was a synonym for simillima
P sinyaevorum, Brechlin & Meister 2011 Bolivia
P strigosa (Maassen & Weyding, 1885) Brazil
P superba superba (Burmeister, 1878) Argentina, Bolivia
Dirphia lulesa Schaus, 1925, Argentina, is same as superba superba
P superba tangerinii Lemaire, 1977 Brazil
P tusina (Schaus, 1921) Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador
denhezi Lemaire, 1969, Colombia, is same as tusina
P wenczeli Brechlin & Meister & Brechlin, 2008 Peru, synonym of M. kohlli
P wittmeri Lemaire, 1976 Ecuador

P unknown Panama; Albert Thurman

The following species, formerly listed with Molippa have been reassigned (2011) to the new genera indicated.

P convergens (Walker, 1855), Brazil, Argentina
Hyperchiria praecruenta Maassen& weyding, 1885, Brazil, is same as convergens; moved to new Genus: Austrolippa, 2011
P cruenta (Walker, 1855), southeastern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay
Automeris semirosea Weymer, 1907, Brazil, is same as cruenta; moved to new Genus: Austrolippa, 2011
P eophila (Dognin, 1919), Argentina; Now included under Auroraia genus

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Molippa 2008