DISTRIBUTION:

Lonomia achelous diabolus (wingspan: males: 72-78mm; females: 94-97mm / forewing length: males: 36-40mm; females: 51-53mm) flies in
French Guiana: Moyen Oyapok, Camopi, Cayenne, Orapu, Kaw, Regina, Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni;
French Guiana: Nouragues: Heliport - Drop Zone, 4.088, -52.681, collected by MAS. Smith & R. Rougerie, 2011-02-09 (Mirror); and in
north-central Brazil: Amapa, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, probably Para.

Males are much darker than those of the larger Lonomia achelous achelous.

Lonomia achelous diabolus male, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January-February, April, July-August and November, suggesting three or four continuous broods.

Larvae feed on Hevea brasiliensis.

Lonomia achelous diabolus male, French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Lonomia achelous diabolus female, French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females emit a scent into the night sky. Males fly into the wind and track the pheromone plume with their antennae.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Lonomia species all have urticating spines and are potentially quite dangerous, possibly even deadly.

Larvae are gregarious. Hevea brasiliensis is the natural host plant.

Lonomia achelous diabolus fifth instar, Mt. Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
February 6, 2016, courtesy of Chico Steffanello, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Lonomia achelous diabolus fifth instar, Mt. Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
February 6, 2016, courtesy of Chico Steffanello, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

When I advised Chico of potential dangers with this larva, he wrote back: "Sim, Lonomia achelous, pode matar em 72 horas. É necessário ter o soro anti-lonômico em caso de acidente."

Translation: "Yes, Lonomia achelous, can kill within 72 hours. You must have anti-lonômico serum in case of accident."

I (Bill Oehlke) am almost positive it is subspecies diabolus due to location.

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. Additional foodplants have been included from other sources, including Lemaire's Hemileucinae, 2002.

Hevea brasiliensis......

Rubber Tree

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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 "Lonomia" chosen by Walker in 1855.

The species name "achelous" is from Greek mythology where Achelous is the deity of the river of that name, and ruler of all rivers.

The subspecies name "diabolus" may be for the dark colour or from the larvae whose sting can cause a severe bleeding disorder.

This page is designed and maintained by Bill Oehlke as part of the World's Largest Saturniidae Site.

The following image(s) may or may not appear on your monitor, depending upon whether or not I get permission from respective photographers/owners to display them. I do have permission for my own private use.

Lonomia achelous diabolus male, Kaw, French Guiana, December 13, 1996,
collection of Rodolphe Rougerie, photo copyright Rene Lahousse, French Guiana Systematique.

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