DISTRIBUTION:

Gamelioides cajas (wingspan: males: ?; females: 55mm // forewing length: males: ?; females: 31mm) flies in
Ecuador: Azuay: Cajas National Park, at high elevations near 3640m.

Only the female is known and she has a predominantly white pupil in the hindwing eyespot instead of a black pupil as in many other Gamelioides species. There is perhaps a black "pin prick" in an otherwise white pupil. The forewing outer margin is slightly convex, but not as convex as in Gamelioides ifei whose female has a larger black dot for a pupil.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

A single female has been taken in late November. Larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Quite likely males of this species are diurnal or fly near dawn.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae are probably equipped with urticating spines and probably feed gregariously, especially in the early instars.

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.

Return to Gamelioides Index

Return to Main Saturniidae 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 contempory friend/collector/etc.

Gamelioides means Gamelia-like. In Greek mythology "Gamelia" is another name for Hera.

The species name "cajas" is indicative of a specimen type locale in Cajas National Park, Azuay, Ecuador.