DISTRIBUTION:

The rare Eubergia boetifica moth (wingspan: males: 32-42mm; females: 44-48mm) flies in
northern Paraguay: UD: Alto Paraguay, Presidente Hayes and Boqueron.

Lemaire, 2002, synonymized boetifica and boetifica form rufa with Eubergia caisa, and I (Bill Oehlke) had previously "reinstated" boetifica in the Eubergia list, based on a specimen provided from Boqueron, Paraguay, that was definitely (to my eye) not caisa. I now feel the Boqueron moth is either an Eubergia boetifica (most likely) or an Eubergia sinjaevorum (less likely) and have posted it to both files.

In Entomo-Satsphingia, Brechlin and Meister indicate that the holotype of E. boetifica form rufa from Mato Grosso, Brazil, in D'Abrera 1995: 159, is likely an example of Eubergia santacruziana. Thus Eubergia boetifica may or may not be a valid species, but the image at the top of the page, as well as several other images on this page, suggests that it Eubergia boetifica is valid and distinct. The males, at least, seem to have relatively wide, parallel, am and pm lines on the forewings.

Lemaire, in his Hemileucinae 2002 indicates the moth identified as caisa, illustrated by Draudt, 1930, Plate 118 d male, was something unknown to him. He noted the straight am line but suggested maybe it was probably a "misrepresentation of a damaged specimen." Perhaps the moths on this page are something as yet undescribed as the only other Eubergia that I know of that has a straight am line, parallel to the pm line is Eubergia argyrea, which has a large bright red pupil in the hindwing 'eyespot'.

Perhaps it is just form rufa that is called into question by Brechlin & Meister who have indicated the rufa image rufa from Mato Grosso, Brazil in D' Abrera, 1995, is quite likely E. santacruziana.

There are now several images of moths on this page having 1) ringed cell markings, 2) a forewing am line that is parallell to the pm line, meeting the inner margin, 3) a pinkish cast to the hindwing, and 4) reddish-brown, lateral thoracic hairs. Lemaire remarks that caisa 1) does not have ringed cell marks, and his images of caisa show 2) a forewing am line that is subparallel to the costa, not meeting the inner margin, 3) a white hindwing ground colour with some light grey suffusions outside of and above the cell, without any pinkish tones, and 4) greyish white lateral thoracic hairs.

Eubergia boetifica male, courtesy of Eric Van Schayck

The males of this species seem to have an ante-median line that is consistently parallel to the lay of the post-median line.

The following image is very interesting in that the forewing cell has a silver sub-triangular outline, housing a black core, all outlined in black.

Otherwise it is closer to all other images on this page than to any other known Eubergia species.

Eubergia boetifica?? male, Paraguay,
courtesy of Ulf Drechsel, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larval hosts are unknown.

Eubergia boetifica (possibly?? a female Eubergia sinjaevorum),
Boqueron, Paraguay, courtesy of Ulf Drechsel

The moth directly above was first sent to me as a male of boetifica. The full and elongate body suggested a female, and the somewhat triangular wing shape is suggestive of sinjaevorum. However, location and an am line parallel to the line of the pm line, suggests it is boetifica, and it may in fact be a male. The lines am and pm lines are noticeably thinner in this image than in the others on this page, and the pm line is noticeably convex while in the other images it is quite straight. Perhaps there are still some Eubergia which remain undescribed.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females, which have a darker lower wing, extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen. Males use highly developed antennae to track the airbourne pheromone to locate the females.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably deposited in large clusters and larvae are highly gregarious.

Urticating spines offer the Eubergia boetifica larvae much protection.

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.

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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