Gamelioides pinzonica

Updated as per Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 9 Heft 02 27.05.2016 (Gamelioides chrisbrechlinae, winbrechlini, sinjaevi, pinzonica, cajas, inti, kaechi); April 19, 2017

Gamelioides pinzonica
guh-MEEL-ee-oi-deesMpin-zagh-NIH-kuh
Brechlin, 2016

Gamelioides pinzonica HT female, Villa Pinzon, Boyaca, Colombia,
55mm, April 26, 2014, 3360m, on my home computer only.

Gamelioides pinzonica female (maybe??), Colombia,
courtesy of Thibaud Decaens, very tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Gamelioides, Lemaire, 1988

DISTRIBUTION:

Gamelioides pinzonica (wingspan: males: ?; females: 55mm // forewing length: males: ?; females: 32-33mm) flies in
Colombia: Boyaca: Villa Pinzon, at high elevations near 3250-3360m.

The female holotype has a relatively small hindwing ocellus with a very small black pupil. The forewing outer margin is convex, and the apex is pointed, governed by a slightly hollowed out section along the outer margin just below the costa.

The female is very similar to many other females from different locales. For the average collector, location and elevation are probably the best indicators of species.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Three females have been taken in April and October. Larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Quite likely males of this species are diurnal or fly near dawn. They do not seem to be attracted to lights.

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 "pinzonica" is indicative of a specimen type locality in Villa Pinzon, Boyaca, Colombia.