I (Bill Oehlke) feel that the moth directly above from Paraguari, Paraguay is either E. caisa or male of Eubergia paraguari, undescribed as of November, 2015. I will also place it on the paraguari page.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Tribe: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Genus: Eubergia, Bouvier, 1929

DISTRIBUTION:

The rare Eubergia caisa moth (wingspan: males: 32-42mm; females: 44-48mm) flies in
Argentina: Buenos Aires Province and Cordoba (NV) and probably also in Formosa, Chaco, Santa Fe, Entre Rios, Corrientes and Misiones provinces.

It also flies in
Brazil: Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Distrito Federal, Goias, Minas Gerais: Sao Roque de Minas (MCC);
Bolivia: Santa Cruz more likely E. santacruziana in Santa Cruz; and
Paraguay: UD:
Concepcion; more likely either E. conceptiona or E. drechseli in Concepcion,
San Pedro, more likely either E. conceptiona or E. drechseli in San Pedro,
Canindeyu,
Caaguazu,
Alto Parana; more likely E. altoparanensis in Alto Parana,
Paraguari; more likely E. paraguari in Paraguari,
and (possibly Guaira, Cordillera, Caazapa and Itapua in dry forests at elevations of 250 - 1100 m.

With the advent of lepidoptera DNA barcoding analysis in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 2008, quite a few new Eubergia species were described from the specimens submitted for barcoding. Brechlin and Meister, who have proposed many of the new species names (2011 and 1215) do not mention any of the new species as being sympatric with caisa, nor do they provide an image of true caisa.

Lemaire's images of caisa in his Hemileucinae 2002 show specimens from Goias, Brazil, which are almost identical to the Brechlin & Meister images of Eubergia chuquisaciana taken along the road from Padilla to Monteagudo, six kilometers east of Puente Acero.

Eubergia caisa (more likely E. altoparanensis) Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.

Eubergia caisa (more likely E. altoparanensis) Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.

Lemaire equates boetifica with caisa, but the following image from Boqueron, Paraguay, appears distinct from E. caisa.

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

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larval hosts are unknown. Specimens have been taken from January to May, as well as in October in Brazil. There are records for October, November and December in Paraguay and Bolivia.

Adriana Inés Zapata, via Nigel Venters, reports them on the wing in September in Villa de Soto, Cordoba, Argentina.

Marcos Cesar Campis reports an April flight in Sao Roque de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

<

Eubergia caisa male, Sao Roque de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
April 25, 2020, courtesy of Marcos Cesar Campis, id by Carlos Mielke.

Visit Eubergia caisa males (more probably Eubergia conceptiona, Laguna Blanca, San Pedro, Paraguay, October 2008, Paul Smith.

The specimen image to the right was originally sent to me as Eubergia caisa. I have purchased Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002 from Erich Bauer and see that the moths are actually Eubergia radians, based on black-edged, thin, yellow ring around forewing black cell spot and the generally darker colour of the hindwings. Lemaire also mentions the slightly concave postmedial line (very evident in the top male) and the swollen white lines (strigae) near the outer margin. Eubergia radians males, Chuquisaca (Bolivia), G. Lecourt. The lower specimen has the circled cell spot of radians but the straight pm line of caisa. Lemaire remarks the genitalia are the same for both species, and I (William Oehlke) think they may be the same species.

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.

Eubergia caisa female, Entre Luziania, Vianapolis Goias, Brasil,
October 7, 1972, Leg. Bill Houtz, courtesy of Vernon Evans.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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

Urticating spines offer the Eubergia caisa 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

Return to Eubergia Genus

Eubergia caisa (more likely E. drechseli) male (verso), courtesy of Vernon Evans.

Eubergia caisa female (verso), Entre Luziania, Vianapolis Goias, Brasil,
October 7, 1972, Leg. Bill Houtz, courtesy of Vernon Evans.