I am not sure if the reddish male depicted above is Copaxa garciorum or Copaxa multifenestrata or Copaxa rufa which may or may not be a valid species.

The forewing shape (less produced, less pointed forewing apex, and less oblique outer margin of the Kelly Price specimen posted on the garciorum page) seems a better match for the Entomo Satphingia image of garciorum than the does the image above, which may therefore be C. multifenestrata. I will also post it to the garciorum page.

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: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Saturniini, Boisduval, 1837 Genus: Copaxa, Walker, 1855

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DISTRIBUTION:

There are two fairly distinct populations of Copaxa multifenestrata (wingspan: males: 75-105-110(KP)mm; females: 85-125mm) from
Mexico: San Luis Potosi, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Vercruz, Hidalgo (KP), Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Chiapas;
Belize: Orange Walk and Cayo;
Honduras: Santa Barbara (RL), Cortés, Olancho, Yoro (all three by RC);
El Salvador: Ahuachapan;
Nicaragua: Madriz, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Chontales;
Costa Rica: Cartago (CL), Alajuela, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose (IB) (100-2100m);
Panama;
western Colombia: Choco, Nariono, Santander, Boyaca, Tolima and Valle del Cauca and probably Cauca and Caldas;
and western Ecuador: Pichincha, Cotopaxi (LR), Canar (LR), and probably Carchi, Imbabura, Bolivar, Azuay and Loja;
and northwestern Peru: Piura (Bernhard Wenczel).

The western population has larvae that tend to be dark with red and/or yellow markings and males that tend to run more red in color. Claude Lemaire recently named this population Copaxa rufa as per this page.

The Eastern population tends to have green larvae, and males are more dull brown in color, but occasionally you see bright yellow males or females.

There are multiple (the number varies) discal spots on all four wings.

Kirby Wolfe reports that this species tends to be consistently smaller than Copaxa mazaorum with most C. mazaorum males having wingspans of 120mm or more. He does have, however, a male C. multifenestrata from Costa Rica with a wingspan of 110mm.

All notes above must be reconsidered with the description of many new species in the multifenestrata group in 2010 by Brechlin and Meister. I now believe that Copaxa multifenestrata (mfwl: 42mm) is a relatively small moth with a male wingspan less than 85mm; females would be slightly larger than that. It might be limited in its range to south eastern Mexico and Belize, being replaced by other similar species in southwestern Mexico and Central America. Perhaps the specimen below from Honduras is C. multifestrata.

I have just visited the specimens listed as C. multifenestrata on Dan Janzen's very comprehensive website for Costa Rica. The three specimens depicted seem to be two distinct species and I favour C. conlani and C. schmiti and have posted images to those pages respectively.

Copaxa multifenestrata (more likely C. hondfenestrata), Honduras, July 2006, courtesy of Eduardo Marabuto.

Visit Copaxa multifenestrata females, Ecuador and Costa Rica, courtesy of Kelly Price.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Copaxa multifenestrata broods continuously and moths can be taken in every month in Costa Rica at elevations from sea level to 2100 meters, seemingly more common above 600m.

Larvae feed upon avocado (Persea americana) and Sallow or Goat willow (Salix capraea).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males (above) are more brightly coloured (redder) than females and use highly developed antennae to locate mates from dawn until around 10:00 am by tracking the airbourne pheromone plume.

Copaxa multifenestrata female, Mexico,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Copaxa multifenestrata, 110mm, Hidalgo, Mexico, 1450m, courtesy of Kelly Price, id by Kirby Wolfe.

I thought the female from Tapanti, CR, might be C. escalantei, but Kirby Wolfe writes, "Specimens of escalantei I've seen from Costa Rica are more olive-colored and with smaller clear spots on the hindwing."

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Mature larvae have both a green form and a dark form. Dark form to the right courtesy of Chris Conlan.

The green form to the right is by Leroy Simon.

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.

Liquidambar styraciflua....... Persea americana..... Salix capraea

Sweetgum Avocado Sallow/Goat willow

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Copaxa multifenestrata female, Veracruz, Mexico

Copaxa multifenestrata female, form "flavescens", Veracruz, Mexico,