Dirphiopsis ayuruoca
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Carlos Mielke (Parana), April 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Carlos Mielke (Minas Gerais: Itamonte); April 27, 2011
Updated as per personal communication with Marcelo Cardoso (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, September 17, 2016); November 21, 2016

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca
DIRF-ee-op-sisMay-YOUR-you-oh-kuh
(Foetterle, 1901) Ormiscodes ayuruoca

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca male, Itamonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
1800m, courtesy of Carlos Mielke.

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca male, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
September 17, 2016, courtesy of Marcelo Cardoso.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Dirphiopsis, Bouvier, 1928

DISTRIBUTION:

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca (wingspan: males: 62-67mm; females: probably larger) flies in
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro (MC), Parana (CM), Minas Gerais: Itamonte (1800m CM), Santa Catarina, as a montane species (2400m).

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca male, Itamonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
1800m, courtesy of Carlos Mielke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths fly in January and April and May (MC) and possibly at other times. Larval hosts are unknown.

Dirphiopsis ayuruoca male, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
September 17, 2016, courtesy of Marcelo Cardoso.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably laid in large clusters and larvae feed gregariously. Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphiopsis species all 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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