DISTRIBUTION:

Hyperchiria columbiana (wingspan: males: 63mm; females: mm / forewing length: males: mm; females: mm) flies in
Colombia: Antioquia: Magdalena, Tolima: 2 km W Rio Habana, 6, -74.9, collected by Rudloff, 1998-08-25.

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.

This species has relatively small forewing and hindwng ocelli, and a relatively bright appearance.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

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

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

Visit the Hyperchiria nausica Group to see a comparison plate covering the eleven species listed by Brechlin and Meister, 2013, as belonging to the Hyperchiria nausica Group, which has species where the iris of the hindwing ocellus is orange.

Hyperchiria females??, Colombia,
courtesy of Thibaud Decaens and G. Lecourt.

As of November 2013, the only Hyperchiria species from the Nausica Group (Orange hingwing ocellus) that has been documented in Colombia is Hyperchiria columbiana, and the female of the new species is unknown.

Thibaud Decaens provides the digital image, above, and had indicated the specimens were female Hyperchiria nausica from Colombia. The upper of the two moths has a wider, more smoothly contoured, hindwing black submarginal band that is usually only seen in male H. nausica. I wonder if the gender has been confused?

I also note that the hindwing outer margin is not nearly as hollowed out below the apex as one would expect in females of H. nausicoccidentalis which would not be a surprise to me if documented in southeastern Colombia.

I therefore think the lower female is either H. nausica, documenting a range in Colombia, or possibly a female of H. columbiana.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use well-developed antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

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.

Berberis lauina Cassia corymbosa ....... Celtis spinosa Fagus Ficus benjamina Laburnum Platanus orientalis Quercus Quercus ilex Serjania

Barberry Autumn senna Hackberry Beech Benjamin tree Bean tree Oriental sycamore Oak Holly/Holm oak Serjania

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