Dirphia aviboliviana
Updated as per Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 4 Heft 5 29.12.2011; March 25, 2013

Dirphia aviboliviana
Brechlin & Meister, 2011

Dirphia aviboliviana males, Nor Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia,
courtesy of Thibaud Decaens and G. LeCourt.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Dirphia, Hubner, 1819

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DISTRIBUTION:

Dirphia aviboliviana (wingspan: males: mm; females: mm // Mfwl: 38-48mm; Ffwl: 52-59mm) flies in
Bolivia: La Paz; Chuquisaca; Beni; Tarija; Santa Cruz; Cochabamba; at elevations from 300-2800m.

Dirphia aviboliviana male, Arani, Cochabamba, Bolivia,
courtesy of Kelly Price, id by Bill Oehlke.

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.

Dirphia aviboliviana male, Nor Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia,
October 2008.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are seen pretty much throughout the entire year (March-June; September-December) so the species probably broods continuously as conditions permit.

Larvae feed upon West Indian Locust (Hymenaea courbaril) and West Indian Cedar (Cedrela odorata).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

In the image to the right, female curls her abdomen to deposit eggs.EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

White eggs with a black micropyle are laid in large clusters and larvae feed gregariously.

Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphia species all have urticating spines.

Dirphia aviboliviana sixth instar, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, January 4, 2010, 1000m,
courtesy of Jason Weigner, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Dirphia aviboliviana sixth instar, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, January 4, 2010, 1000m,
courtesy of Jason Weigner, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Dirphia aviboliviana sixth instar, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, January 4, 2010, 1000m,
courtesy of Jason Weigner, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Regarding the larvae, Jason writes, "Found at about 1000m just west of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in the Department of Santa Cruz.

"This larva is currently 6cm. Not sure what the food plant is since I found it on the side of a building. There were what appeared to be some sort of Mimosa species near by with bark that almost matched the patterns of the larva but I am not sure if that is the food plant or not. I'll try to raise it, hopefully I have the right food plant."

The species name is indicative of a close relationship with Dirphia avia and a geographic range in Bolivia.

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Cedrela odorata
Crataegus oxyacantha......
Fagus sylvatica
Hymenaea courbaril
Malus
Prunus
Quercus ilex
Salix

West Indian Cedar
English hawthorn
European Beech
West Indian Locust
Apple
Cherry/Plum
Holly/Holm oak
Willow

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