Dirphiopsis delta
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008
Updated as per ZOOLOGIA LEPIDÓPTEROS DE IMPORTÂNCIA MÉDICA OCORRENTES NO RIO GRANDE DO SUL. III. SATURNIIDAE – HEMILEUCINAE (flight months; foodplants; RGDS); Alexandre Specht; Elio Corseuil; Aline Carraro Formentini
Updated as per personal communication with Augusto Rosa, Itamonte, Minas Gerais, January 10, 2021

Dirphiopsis delta
DIRF-ee-op-sisMDEL-tuh
(Foetterle, 1901) Ormiscodes

Dirphiopsis delta courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

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 delta (wingspan: males: 50-53mm; females: 60-72mm) flies in
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Parana, Santa Catarina: Massaranduba (JAR) and Rio Grande Do Sul; at elevations of 500-950m.

Dirphiopsis delta male, Brazil, courtesy/copyright Carlos Mielke.

Dirphiopsis delta male, Brazil, courtesy/copyright Eric van Schayck.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in January, March, April, May and August.

Larval hosts are unknown. Prunus.

Dirphiopsis delta male, wingspan: 51 mm, September,
Lapa, Paraná, Brazil, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to locate females at night by tracking her airbourne pheromone plume.

Dirphiopsis delta female, Brazil, courtesy/copyright Carlos Mielke.

Dirphiopsis delta???, female???, Itamonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
April 8, 2021, courtesy of Augusto Rosa.

I am not sure of the gender of the spciemen from Minas Gerais. It is also a bit different from other images of delta in that the subterminal area of the forewing seems lighter than in other specimens of delta. It is somewhat similar to Dirphiopsis vanderbilti in that regard, but is definitely not vanderbilti. I am wondering if it is possibly an undescribed species or an hybrid. Bill Oehlke

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are 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.

Prunus......

Cherry

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