DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris lauroia (wingspan: males: 58-62mm; females: probably larger) flies in Brazil: Federal District: Sobradinho (FL); Goias; Tocantins in Savannah/Cerrado biomes.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in January and October. Flavia lacerda reports a December flight inthe Federal District. Automeris lauroia larval hosts are unknown. Many thanks to Eurides Furtado for identifying a rarely seen species from Federal District, Brazil. For the first time a female of Automeris lauroia is depicted on WLSS. I do not know if the female was prevously known to science. It is neither depicted nor described in Lemaire's Hemileucinae, 2002. The forewing of both the male and female is very similar, almost identical, and very distinct from all other known Automeris species.

Automeris lauroia female, Sobradinho, Federal District, Brazil,
December 21, 2017, courtesy of Flavia Lacerda.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen. Males use highly developed antennae to track the airbourne pheromone to locate the females.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in large clusters and larvae are highly gregarious. Urticating spines offer the Automeris inornata larvae much protection. 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 Main Saturniidae Index Return to Automeris Genus