|
Updated as per Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 4 Heft 5 29.12.2011; March 25, 2013 Updated as per personal communication with Bernhard Wenczel; July 5, 2013 |
Dirphia avibarinasensis male, reared on Fagus, Barinas, Venezuela,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Victor Suter.
Dirphia avibarinasensis HT male, 88mm, Barinitas, Barinas, Venezuela,
February 18, 2000, 420m, on my home computer only.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"What.A.Wonderful.World" |
Dirphia avibarinasensis female, reared on Fagus, Barinas, Venezuela,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Victor Suter.
"The eggs looked completely different. Instead of round and bright white with the black microphyle they were light-grey at the bottom and grey-green in their upper half with a clear microphyle. The second point that made me sure that I’ve never before seen such a thing was the fact, that these eggs took six weeks to hatch. D.avia takes exactly three weeks to do so. At the larva Victor made a remarkable observation. He says the black stripes on the head-shell are not like those of D.avia. The rest of it looks very similar. You can imagine how confused I was seeing this worms. On one hand I was sure the eggs are from another species, but the larva made me think it was avia. I already thought I’ve mixed something up. But then there was the fourth point. D.avibarinasensis larva don’t accept any of the foodplants D.avia larvae do! Beech (Fagus silvatica) was the only accepted plant. It was pretty disappointing when the first moth emerged. Just like D.avia…. I had to label them with a particular little sign – a half green, half white egg. Otherwise I’m sure they hasn’t been recognizable anymore. Just to make the proof I reared two generations more. Again, colored eggs, six weeks of developing, nothing but beech AND no mating with “official” D.avia out of white eggs.
"All these observations I reported to Naumann and Meister. Which the latter one used to describe a new species.
I’ve never read this publication, but I wonder whether he gives the reasons I told you here or justifies just by a difference in the DNA… However, I doubt anybody can determine this species only comparing dried specimens.
"Regards and good night."
I suspect there may be some variability in this species. The white surrounding the darker forewing angulate median area is prominent yet diffuse in the male, diffuse but less prominent in the female where the median area is larger and much more smoothly curved.
The hindwings in both sexes are pale brown with orangey basal hairs and prominent, darker grey-brown post median and submarginal bands.
Based on Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 4 Heft 5 29.12.2011, the Dirphia avia Group (darker median sub-triangular shape, running from costa toward inner margin without striga) consists of the following species:
allae Brechlin & Meister 2011, Peru: Ayacucho; Apurimac; Cusco; Puno; Madre de Dios; Ucayali;
Junin; Pasco;
avia French Guiana; Venezuela; probably Guyana and Suriname; most of Central America
avibarinasensis Brechlin & Meister 2011, Venezuela: Barinas
avichoco Brechlin & Meister 2011, Colombia: Choco
aviluisiana Brechlin & Meister 2011, Colombia: Antioquia; Cundinamarca?;
aviurica Brechlin & Meister 2011, Peru: Piura; Tumbes
avinapoana Brechlin, Meister & Kaech 2011, Ecuador: Napo; Zamora Chinchipe;
Peru: Amazonas; San Martin
aviboliviana Brechlin & Meister 2011, Bolivia: La Paz; Chuquisaca;
Beni; Tarija; Santa Cruz; Cochabamba;
avialtoparanensis Brechlin & Meister 2011, Paraguay: Alto Parana; Paraguari
cadioui Lemaire, 1980,
Argentina;
Bolivia
curitiba Draudt, 1930
Brazil
dentimaculata Schaus, 1921
Brazil; possibly
Paraguay
muscosa Schaus, 1898 southeastern
Brazil; northeastern Argentina
Ormiscodes hortensia Schaus, 1913, Brazil, is same as muscosa
f. sinuosa Bouvier, 1929, Brazil, is same as muscosa
f. colorata Bouvier, 1930, Brazil, is same as muscosa
nora (Druce, 1897) Panama: Chiriqui
triangulum Walker, 1855 southeastern Brazil: Santa Catarina; Rio de Janeiro; probably Sao Paulo; Minas Gerais; Parana.
Larvae feed upon Fagus (Bernhard Wenczel).
In the image to the right, female curls her abdomen to deposit eggs.
Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphia species all have urticating spines.
Dirphia avibarinasensis seventh instar, reared on Fagus, Barinas, Venezuela,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Victor Suter.
Below are two specimens which I believe are undescribed. Bernhard Wenczel writes, "This is a mountainous one from Vzla. I’ve caught the females at several spots between Merida (2200m) and La Bravera (2300m), a ranch above La Azulita, which you find on the northern slopes down to the hot spot Maracaibo.
"It looks like one of the Colombian mountain species, one with a strong pattern on the back wings."
Dirphia avibarinasensis HT male, 88mm, Barinitas, Barinas, Venezuela,
February 18, 2000, 420m, on my home computer only.
Dirphia avibarinasensis female, Venezuela,
2200-2300m, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
Dirphia avibarinasensis AT female, Barinitas, Barinas, Venezuela,
December 9, 1998, 1300m, on my home computer only.
Fagus sylvatica ....... (BW) |
European Beech |
Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.
Return to Main Index
Return to Dirphia Index