DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris lenarti (wingspan: males: 68-77mm; females: mm // forwing length: males: 36-39mm; females: ) flies in
French Guiana: Cayenne: Kaw Mountain area; Cacao; Belizon; at elevations of 290m.

Possibly Automeris lenarti also flies in Tiangua, Ceara, Brazil. See the image and commentary at the bottom of this page.

This species is about the same size as Automeris hamata (mfwl: 36-40mm), but both lenarti and hamata are larger than the recently reinstated and very similar Automeris angulatus (mfwl: 30-36mm). Hamata and lenarti both have forewing apices that are much more widely extended than in angulatus.

I believe all the specimens from French Guiana, previously identified as A. hamata are actually Automeris lenati.

Automeris lenarti male, French Guiana,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in February, April, December. There are probably additional flight months.

Host plants are as yet unknown.

Automeris lenarti female, Belizon, French Guiana,
February, FGS.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

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.

.......

The species name is honourific for Lenart Paul van Schayck, nephew of Eric van Schayck.

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

Return to Automeris Genus

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.

I am not aware of the source for Automeris. The species name, "lenarti" is honourific for Lenart.

Automeris lenarti male, Cayenne, French Guiana,
on my home computer only

Automeris lenarti male, 68mm, Cacao, Regina, French Guiana,
on my home computer only

Automeris lenarti male, Kaw, Regina, French Guiana,
February, on my home computer only

My three choices in order of preference for the specimen from Ceara would be: 1) something undescribed; 2) lenarti; 3) hamata. I will post it to my Ceara page as any one of those three possibilities. Maybe before I die one of those three options will be confirmed in Ceara.

I think not hamata because I think lenarti replaces hamata from French Guiana eastward, and I think hamata has a narrower more pointed forewing apex. I think something undescribed over lenarti because the biome in Tiangua, Ceara, is savanna, and the contour of the am line seems slightly off for lenarti. If neither lenarti nor hamata, then it almost certainly has to be something undescribed.