DISTRIBUTION:

Lonomia leopoldina (wingspan: males: 75mm(CM)-80-88mm; females: 96mm // forewing length: males: 40-44mm; females 48-55mm) flies in
Brasil: Espirito Santo; Bahia; Minas Gerais; Santa Catarina; and probably Rio de Janeiro and Parana; at elevations from 600-750m. Possibly it flies at elevations as low as 25m in Nova Iguacu, Rio de Janeiro.

Based on the number of specimens examined for barcoding, this is a fairly common species.

Lonomia leopoldina male, 75mm, Brasil, courtesy of Carlos Mielke,
on my home computer only.

Lonomia leopoldina male, 81mm, Brasil, courtesy of Frank Meister,
on my home computer only.

The female at the top of this page seems a better match for leopoldina than it does for obliqua, and although the publication does not cite material from Rio de Janeiro, the confirmed presence in neighbouring states strongly suggests it also inhabits Rio. (Bill Oehlke). I am not sure if leopoldina replaces obliqua or is sympatric with obliqua in the Brazilian states mentioned above. Lonomia parobliqua replaces obliqua in Misiones, Argentina, and in the three southern Brazilian states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

Lonomia leopoldina/obliqua? male, Mairinque, Sao Paulo, Brasil,
April 14, 2016, courtesy of Brenno Chagas, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are probably on the wing throughout the year with confirmed flights in May-June-July and September.

The larval host is unknown.

Lonomia leopoldina male, Brasil, courtesy of Ron Brechlin,
on my home computer only.

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.

Larvae are gregarious.

Lonomia leopoldina/obliqua/parobliqua, early instars, Parana, Brazil,
August 15, 2016, Jhonatan Santos

I am not certain of the identification of the larvae directly above. Precise ranges of the three species in question are not known. I favour leopoldina with second choice of parobliqua. I think, based on literature I have read, that obliqua may be limited to northeastern Brazil, north of Parana, and northern Paraguay. Possibly parobliqua is limited to extreme southeastern Brazil: Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul as well as Uruguay, eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. Lonomia leopoldina has been reported as far south as Santa Catarina

Lonomia species, fifth instars, Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais, Brasil,
courtesy of Wolfgang Walz.

Lonomia species, fifth instars, Pedro Leopoldo, Minas Gerais, Brasil,
courtesy of Wolfgang Walz.

Lonomia leopoldina/obliqua/parobliqua, fifth instars, Parana, Brazil,
August 15, 2016, Jhonatan Santos

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

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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 "leopoldina" is indicative of a specimen type (HT) locale in Santa Leopoldina, Espirito Santo, Brazil.

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

Lonomia leopoldina AT female, 96mm, St. Leopoldina, Espirito Santo, Brazil,
600m, on my home computer only.