Bathyphlebia eminens
bagh-thih-FLEE-bee-uhMehm-IN-ens
(Dognin, 1891) (Eacles)

Bathyphlebia eminens male, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador,
2100m, March 19, 2009, courtesy of Horst Kach.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Ceratocampinae Harris, 1841 was Citheroniinae Neumoegen & Dyar, 1894 Genus: Bathyphlebia, R. Felder, 1874 Species: eminens, Dognin, 1891

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DISTRIBUTION:

Bathyphlebia eminens (wingspan: males: 81-99-112mm; females: 110-118mm) flies in
Peru: San Martin and probably Amazonas (probably a smaller, similar species, B. eminentoides replaces eminens in Peru. The lower wingspans recorded above might apply to that species);
Ecuador: Sucumbios; Napo: San Isidro; Morona-Santiago; Loja; Tungurahua; Zamora-Chinchipe and probably Pastaza; and
Colombia: Valle and Cundinamarca; on both sides of the Andes at elevations of 1500-2200m.

Bathyphlebia eminens male, San Isidro, Napo, Ecuador,
April 7, 2011, courtesy of Les Catchick, id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Bathyphlebia eminens flies in February-March-April and July-August and October??, indicating at least two, maybe three, broods. Roger Ahlman confirms a July 27, 2009 flight in San Isidro, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador.

Larvae feed upon Quercus rubra. Horst Kach also reports rearing success with Myrica pubescens.

Bathyphlebia eminens male, Napo, Ecuador, August, courtesy of Horst Kach.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adult Bathyphlebia eminens moths emerge from subterranean pupae, and males are slightly smaller than females.

Bathyphlebia eminens female, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens male, Central Colombia, 2200m; (T. Decaëns & D. Bonilla).

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Night-flying females lay translucent eggs on host plant leaves. The developing larvae can be seen through the egg shells.

Bathyphlebia eminens eggs, two days before hatching,
Napo, Ecuador, October, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens second instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens second instars on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens third instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens third instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens earlyfourth instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens fourth instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Bathyphlebia eminens fifth instar on Myrica pubescens,
Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Larvae pupate underground in small chambers.

Care of larvae and pupae should be as for any Neotropical species.

Bathyphlebia eminens male, Ecuador, courtesy of Frank Meister,
112mm, on my home computer only.

Bathyphlebia eminens male (verso), Ecuador, courtesy of Frank Meister,
112mm, on my home computer only.

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.

Myrica pubescens (HK) ....... Quercus rubra.......

Laurel de cera Red oak

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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.

The source of the genus name "Bathyphlebia" is a combination of "bathy" meaning deep and "phlebia" meaning veins.

The species name "eminens" means supreme lordship or high elevation. I do not know the reason for its choice.

Bathyphlebia eminens female, Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

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