Dirphia confluens
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, September 05, 2006
Updated as per personal communication with Horst Kach, September 05, 2006; June 2009
Updated as per Ecotropical Monographs No. 4: 155-214, 2007, provided by Luigi Racheli, March 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Jim Vargo (95mm, 485m, May 16, 2012, Amazonia Lodge, Madre de Dios, Peru); June 11, 2012

Dirphia confluens
DIRF-ee-uhMKON-floo-ens
Bouvier, 1930

Dirphia confluens male, Peru,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

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 confluens (wingspan: males: 82-102mm; females: 109-132mm) flies in
Peru: Amazonas, San Martin, Huanuco, Cusco and Puno and possibly Loreta, and
Ecuador: Sucumbios, Napo and Zamora-Chinchipe (LR), and probably in Pastaza and Morona-Santiago, and in
Bolivia: Cochabamba and probably La Paz (WO?) on the eastern slopes of the Andes (Bolivian specimens may be Dirphia schmitti from Santa Cruz and Beni, or Dirphia lapaziana from La Paz and Santa Cruz.

Prior to 2011, this moth was classified as a subspecies of Dirphia somniculosa. It has been elevated to full species status by Brechlin & Meister.

Of all the specimens on this page, the one at the top by Eric van Schayck seems to be the best match for the Enotomo Satsphingia 2011 image of Dirphia confluens from Puno, Peru. The images from Napo, Ecuador, seem more like Dirphia somniculosa juninensis, from Junin, Peru, as they seem to have much more diffuse (wider) white scaling on am and pm lines.

The image from Madre de Dios, Peru, with its strongly concave pm line, seems a best match for Dirphia lapaziana, described from La Paz, Bolivia. Perhaps there are several species on this page; Perhaps Dirphia confluens is a very variable species. Bill Oehlke

Dirphia confluens male, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Dirphia confluens male, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador,
1900m, January 14, 2002, 88mm, courtesy/copyright Kelly Price, id by Bill Oehlke.

I found identification of the Kelly Price specimen difficult. Fortunately the data provided by Kelly and the checklist for the Cosanga region provided by Luigi Racheli were of great help. The specimen may have light markings, or some of the scaling may be prone to falling off or quickly fading, particularly the greyish-white scaling of the am line and the median band.

Dirphia confluens male (verso), Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

This species, which flies on the eastern slopes of the Andes, is very similar to Dirphia somniculosa somniculosa, which flies on the western slopes. Subspecies tends to be a bit lighter (more yellow scaling) than the nominate subspecies and sometimes in males and females there is a greater proximity of the am and pm lines, even meeting in some cases as in the female, considerably below.

The following male is temporarily placed on this file because it is close to D. somniculosa confluens, but I am pretty sure it is a species as yet undescribed or at least unknown to me. The forewing pm line is far more concave and distinct than in any other Dirphia species I have seen.

Dirphia confluens?? male, 95mm, Amazonia Lodge, Madre de Dios, Peru,
May 16, 2012, 485m, courtesy of Jim Vargo, very tentative id by Bill Oehlke. closer to Dirphia lapaziana

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths have been observed in January-February-March, May and August and November-December, suggesting at least two broods annually. Larval hosts are unknown in nature.

Dirphia confluens male, Ecuador, courtesy of Leroy Simon
D. confluens if from eastern Ecuador; Dirphia somniculosa somniculosa if from western Ecuador.

Horst Kach writes the larvae acept Prunus, chestnut, oak, and in the wild you can find them frecuently on Miconia sp. species (Melastomataceae).

Horst Kach has reared them in Ecuador on chestnut (Castanea) and oak (Quercus).

Visit Dirphia confluens females, recto and verso, Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador, 2150m, December 6, 2008, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Dirphia confluens female, Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
February 7, 2004, courtesy of Horst Kach.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Dirphia confluens female (verso), Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
February 7, 2004, courtesy of Horst Kach.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are laid in large clusters and larvae feed gregariously. Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Dirphia species all have urticating spines.

Dirphia confluens larva, Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
February 7, 2006, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Dirphia confluens larva, Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
June 5, 2008, courtesy of Horst Kach.

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.

Castanea .......
Miconia (HK)
Prunus
Quercus

Chestnut
Miconia
Cherry
Oak

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Dirphia" chosen by Hubner in 1819.

The species name "somniculosa" means full of sleep or sluggish. I do not know the reason for its choice as a species name.

The subspecies name "confluens" means a joining together or flowing together and may refer to the flowing together of the am and pm lines as happens in some specimens.


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