DISTRIBUTION:

The Automeris themis moth (wingspan: males: 66-75mm; females: 83-85mm) flies in tropical rain forest in
Guyana: East-Berbice-Correntyne and probably Cayuni-Mazaruni and Upper Demerara-Berbice;
French Guiana: Kaw, Cayenne, Regina, Coralie, Kourou, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, Belizon; and
Venezuela: Bolivar.

It probably also flies in
Surinam: (Sipaliwini, Para, Brokopondo, Marowijne (WO??)).

French Guiana is the specimen type locality.

Lemaire groups moresca, themis, tristis and phrynon as having abdomens that are usually orange-ringed (light or dark), matching the basal area of the hindwings. The forewing postmedial line is preapical. The hw eyespot is usually ringed with yellow.

Themis, a small species, has a relatively broad yellow ring around the hindwing eyespot; tristis has a very dark basal median area (male) on the hindwing with the female being uniformly dark; phrynon has a distinct wing shape and pattern.

Automeris themis has a fw outer margin that is slightly concave just below the apex and then nearly straight to the anal angle. The slightly preapical yellow pm line is concave. The angulate yellow am line almost reaches the midpoint of the inner margin. The forewing cell is sometimes completely outlined in black, but more often there are small black dots at the "points".

The yellow hindwing ring is not suffused with black and neither is the yellow band inside the relatively smooth black pm line. The iris is very dark.

Automeris themis (male), French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January-February, March-April, June-July, August, November-December, suggesting continuous broods.

Automeris themis larval hosts are unknown.

Automeris themis female, Camp Caiman, near Kaw, french Guiana,
April 25, 2011, couortesy of Andres Urbas.

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 themis courtesy of Entomo Service

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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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, but Themis, in Greek Mythology, is the one who presides over the proper relation between man and woman, the basis of the rightly ordered family (the family was seen as the pillar of the deme), and judges were often referred to as "themistopoloi" (the servants of Themis). Hera addressed her as "Lady Themis."

Automeris themis male, French Guiana, Jean Paul Passelecq, on my home computer only,
photo copyright Rene Lahousse.

Automeris themis male, Kaw, French Guiana, August, Bruno Penin,
on my home computer only, photo copyright Rene Lahousse.

Automeris themis female, Belizon, French Guiana, February, Daniel Prin,
on my home computer only, photo copyright Rene Lahousse.