DISTRIBUTION:

Lonomia camox (wingspan: males: 78-87mm; females: 95-112mm / forewing length: males: 40-46mm; females 53-62mm) flies in
Venezuela: Bolivar; and
French Guiana: Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Cayenne, Kaw, Inini, Saul, Cacao;
French Guiana: Nouragues: Heliport - Drop Zone, 4.088, -52.681, collected by MAS. Smith & R. Rougerie, 2011-01-30; 2011-02-09;
and likely throughout much of the Amazon Basin at low elevations (160m - 480m). I suspect it can be found in
Guyana and probably in
Suriname.

Lonomia camox male, French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck;
extensive digital repair, ie, wings copied, by Bill Oehlke.

Specimens are often tan (sometimes dark) with well defined postmedial lines outlined with lilac.

Lonomia camox male, Cacoa, French Guiana,
courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie, French Guiana Systematique.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in April-May, August-September and December, suggesting at least three broods.

The larval host is unknown.

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.

Lonomia camox female, French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck;
extensive digital repair, ie, wing copied, by Bill Oehlke.

Lonomia camox female, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel;
more likely something else, Bill Oehlke, L. achelous diabolus??.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Typical of the Subfamily Hemileucinae, Lonomia species all have urticating spines.

Sandy Gr has had success rearing them on willow (Salix).

Lonomia camox, on Salix, Saul, French Guiana, courtesy of Sandy Gr.

Lonomia camox, on Salix, on Salix, Saul, French Guiana,
courtesy of Sandy Gr; probably third, fourth or early fifth instars.

Lonomia camox, on Salix, Saul, French Guiana, courtesy of Sandy Gr.

Larvae are gregarious.

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.

Salix .......

willow SG

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Return to Lonomia Genus

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" or "ee", honour a contempory male friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Lonomia" chosen by Walker in 1855.

The species name "camox" is probably from the late Latin for a greyish-yellow leathery colour, as evidenced in the male ground colour. "Camox" is the root of 'chamois'.

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Lonomia camox female, French Guiana,
courtesy of Bruno Penin, French Guiana Systematique.