Hyperchiria schmiti

Updated as per Museum WITT Munchen internet publication, Brechlin and Meister, January 11, 2011
Updated as per Global Mirror System of DNA Barcoding Analysis (locations and dates of BOLD submissions), January 2012

Hyperchiria schmiti
Meister & Knorke, 2004

Hyperchiria schmiti male, 60mm, Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina,
November, 2009, 750m, courtesy of Nigel Venters,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke, based on produced apex, location, and black spots on forewings.

TAXONOMY:

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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Hyperchiria schmiti (wingspan: males: 58-60mm; females: mm) flies in
Argentina: Salta: Route 25 km from Vine to Pampa Grande. I believe the image at the top of the page from Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina, is properly identified. Claude Lemaire indicates that Hyperchiria orodina does not have black spotting on wing veins, but Nigel venters confirms that the specimen from Calilegua does. I do not have the original description of H. schmiti in English for comparison.

Argentina: Salta: km 25, -25.6586, -65.48, collected by F. Meister & A. Knorke, 2000-11-26;
Argentina: Salta: street from La Vina to Pampa Grande, km 25, -65.4797, -25.6583, A. Knorke;
Argentina: Santa Cruz, -25.39, -65.28, collected by F. Meister, 2003-11-15.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There probably at least two generations annually with flights probably in February and July. If the id at top of page is correct, then there is probably also a November flight (also confirmed in November in Salta).

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

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 probable??? foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.