Automeris bilinea tamphilus
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, November 3, 2005
Updated as per personal communication with Carlos Mielke (Parana), April 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Fernando Penco (Misiones, Argentina, February 2007), June 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Fabio Longen (Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, October 6, 2016); October 6, 2016

Automeris bilinea tamphilus
Schaus, 1892

Automeris bilinea tamphilus male, Guaira, Paraguay,
courtesy of Ulf Drechsel, tentative * id by Bill Oehlke.

Automeris bilinea tamphilus male, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
July 2, 2014, 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: Automeris, Hubner, [1819]

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Automeris bilinea tamphilus moth (wingspan: males: 80-96mm; females: 105mm) flies in
southeastern Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina; and in
Paraguay: UD: Cordillera, Paraguari, Guaira, Alto Parana, and (probably Caaguazu, Caazapa and maybe Itapua);
Argentina: Misiones (FP).

* Lemaire indicates neither A. b. bilinea nor A. b. tamphilus for Paraguay. His stated ranges, however, indicate A. b. tamphilus with a more southerly range in Brazil so I have tentatively identified the specimen from Guaira (above) as A. b. tamphilus. Ulf Drechsel also has A. bilinea listed for Concepcion Department in Paraguay, and I believe that is more likely the nominate subspecies. The difference seems more a slight variation in colour as there are no consistent differences in genitalia. Lemaire indicates tamphilus generally has a chrome coloured fw terminal area in sharper contrast to the more uniform baso-median area, and in that regard the specimen depicted above is more like the nominate subspecies.

Automeris bilinea tamphilus, San Pedro, Misiones, Argentina,
February 2007, RN (national route) Nš14, Dpto. (Departament) San Pedro,
Cesar Rojas Leg, courtesy of Fernando Penco, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in August-September-October and December-February if above id is correct.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use their more highly developed antennae to seek out females who release an airbourne pheromone into the night sky.

Automeris bilinea tamphilus female, Ypiranga, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
September 1922, on my home computer only.

Automeris bilinea tamphilus female, rendering by Bill Oehlke.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters of 6-40+ on hostplant twigs. Larvae have urticating spines and are gregarious, 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.

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Return to Automeris Genus