DISTRIBUTION:

Hyperchiria parda (wingspan: males: mm; females: 69mm / forewing length: males: mm; females: 33mm) flies in
Ecuador: Tungurahua: near Rio Topo - Balneario, on the western slopes of the Andes; at elevation of 1200m.

This moth belongs to the plicata subgroup. Moths in this group have a red iris with a relatively small white pupil in the hindwing ocellus. Hindwing ground colour is usually dull beige or orangey, not yellow as in the incisa subgroup.

Only the female is known thus far, and she is quite similar to H. acutapex. Forewing ground colour is red-brown. In the hindwing the black median band is distant from the ocellus whereas in H. parallela the same band is almost tangential to the ocellus.

Please note: The advent of DNA barcoding has resulted in many new descriptions (approximately 200 "new" Saturniidae species, 2010; many more in 2011-2013). 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 March. There are probably additional flight months.

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

Hyperchiria parda female, 69mm, Tungurahua, Ecuador,
on my home computer only.

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.

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.

The species name, "parda", comes from the Spanish word for brown.

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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