DISTRIBUTION:

Cercophana venusta flies in central and southern Chile; and in
Argentina: Chubut: Lago Puelo (EB).

Cercophana venusta male, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Cercophana venusta flies as a single brood from February until April.

Larvae feed upon Maytenus boaria (Mayten Tree) and Aristotelia maqui, a dense growing Chilean shrub.

Cercophana venusta female, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adult Cercophana venusta moths emerge from hardened cocoons from February til April.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

There is a false eye on the side of the first abdominal segment, just above the lateral line. The eye appears when the larva is disturbed. Larvae pass through just four instars before spinning a valveless, hardened cocoon. The emergent moths cuts a hole to escape through the more pointed upper end.

Cercophana venusta cycle, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

Cercophana venusta larva copyright Kirby Wolfe

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.

Aristotelia maqui ....... Maytenus boaria

Aristotelia maqui Mayten Tree

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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 genus name Cercophana comes from the Latin words "cerco", meaning tail, and "phanus" meaning membrane/wing or bright.

The species name "venusta" means charming or handsome.