Hyperchiria acutapex

Updated as per Museum WITT Munchen internet publication, Brechlin and Meister, January 12, 2011
Updated as per Global Mirror System of DNA Barcoding Analysis (locations and dates of BOLD submissions), January 2012
Updated as per Entomo Satsphingia Jahrgang 3, Heft 5, 18.11, 2010; January 20, 2012

Hyperchiria acutapex
Brechlin & Meister 2010

Hyperchiria acutapex, Bolivia, courtesy of T. Decaëns & G. Lecourt,
id by Bill Oehlke.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Hyperchiria, Hubner, [1819]

MIDI MUSIC

"Someone to Watch
Over Me"
copyright C. Odenkirk
MIDI CITY
ON.OFF

DISTRIBUTION:

Hyperchiria acutapex (wingspan: males: mm; females: 61mm / forewing length: males: mm; females: mm) flies in
Bolivia: N.Yungas, 100 km NE La Paz, -16.2, -67.6, 2009-11-01.

Please note: The advent of DNA barcoding has resulted in many new descriptions (approximately 200 "new" Saturniidae species, 2010). In many cases the "new" species are quite similar to existing species. Do not be surprised if more refined testing or revisions of "thresholds of difference" result in some synonymies or even more species/subspecies designations. Subsequent rearing may or may not indicate differences in larval appearance. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been reported taken in November. There are probably additional flight months.

Hyperchiria acutapex larvae probably eat Berberis lauina, Cassia corymbosa, Celtis spinosa, Fagus, Ficus benjamina, Laburnum, Platanus orientalis, Quercus, Quercus ilex and Serjania.

Visit the Hyperchiria plicata Group to see a comparison plate covering the eight species listed by Brechlin and Meister, 2013, as belonging to the Hyperchiria plicata Group, which has species where the iris of the hindwing ocellus is red with a relatively small white pupil, and the hindwing ground colour is beige.

Hyperchiria acutapex female, 61mm, La Paz, Bolivia,
Entomo Satsphingia Jahrgang 3, Heft 5, 18.11, 2010; on my home computer only.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Typical of species in the Genus Hyperchiria and the Subfamily Hemileucinae, the larvae are armed with urticating spines.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplants will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.