Dirphiopsis wanderbilti
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008; February 5, 2016

Dirphiopsis wanderbilti
DIRF-ee-op-sisMVAN-der-bilt-eye
Pearson, 1958

Dirphiopsis wanderbilti male, Paraguay, 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 wanderbilti (wingspan: males: 63-74mm; females: 94mm) flies in
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, and
Paraguay ??.

Dirphiopsis wanderbilti male, Brazil, courtesy of Eric van Schayck

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in February, May, June, July, August, September and October. Larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Dirphiopsis wanderbilti female, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
May 1968, Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

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.

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