DISTRIBUTION:

Cerodirphia gualacensis (wingspan: males 63-73mm; females: 72mm) flies in Ecuador: Morona-Santiago (Gualaceo) at elevations around 2400m.

The abdomen is black, ringed with white. The forewings are black with a white Y-shaped discal spot. A thick black line often divides the two forks of the Y from its point just beyond a diffuse black pm line.

The white fringe is checked with broad black patches on the center of the veins.

The underside is slightly lighter than the dorsal surface with a bit of lighter brown scaling outside the diffuse pm line of the forewing.

Cerodirphia gualacensis male (verso), Gualaceo-Mendez, Morona-Santiago, Ecuador,
March 5, 2008, 2240m, courtesy of Horst kach.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There is probably only one brood (possibly two) per year with moths on the wing from late December to early March.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to locate females at night by tracking their airbourne pheromone plumes.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larve feed gregariously and have urticating spines.

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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Cerodirphia gualacensis, All Leps Barcode of Life, on my home computer only.

Cerodirphia gualacensis, All Leps Barcode of Life.