DISTRIBUTION:

The Eacles ormondei violacea moth (wingspan: males: 88-104mm; females: 134mm) flies in
eastern Ecuador: Napo, Morona-Santiago and Tungurahua LTR; and
Bolivia: Cochabamba; at elevations from 1400 to 2200m. I suspect it also flies in Peru, as indicated by Eric van Schayck specimen.

Eacles ormondei violacea, male, Peru,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Eacles ormondei violacea, male, Peru,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Eacles ormondei violacea male, Cocodrilo (15 km SE of Cosanga), Napo, Ecuador,
courtesy/copyright Luigi Racheli.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Eacles ormondei violacea moths are on the wing in January-February-March and then again in November, suggesting two broods.

Eacles ormondei violacea male, Wildsumaco Lodge, Napo, Ecuador,
March 2, 2011, 1480m, courtesy of Pia Oberg, id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke

I (Bill Oehlke) am not 100% sure of the identification of the male from Wildsumaco Lodge. I think many of the orangey-brown scales on the wings are lost through wear. Elevation, process of elimination, weaker patterning of purple on body and general appearance (wing shape and pattern) all support Eacles ormondei violacea more so than other known species from the area.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females, which are much plainer than males, mate around 10:00 P.M., and the pair remains coupled until the following evening. Upon separation, the females begin their ovipositing flights.

Eacles ormondei violacea female, Cocodrilo (15 km SE of Cosanga), Napo, Ecuador,
courtesy/copyright Luigi Racheli.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Lemon-yellow, translucent eggs are deposited singly or in small clusters of up to six. The larvae become visible through the egg shells a day or so before emerging.

Larvae are solitary in their feeding habits and have extensive thoracic scoli.

At maturity, larvae descend trees to pupate in underground chambers. Pupae should be stored under cool , but above freezing temperatures, and sprinkling with water a few times a week in spring encourages subsequent eclosions.

Larval Food Plants

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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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 "Eacles", but it may be a combination of "Ea", the Greek word for gods and goddesses and the Greek suffix "cles", meaning 'glory of'.

The species name "ormondei" is honourific for Ormonde.

The subspecies name "violacea" probably signifies the more abundant violet scaling on the forewings, as compared to other members of this genus/species.

Eacles ormondei violacea male, Claude Lemaire.