DISTRIBUTION:

Meroleucoides ramicosa (wingspan: males: 50-56mm; females: larger // forewing length: males: 25-30mm; females: ??) flies in
Peru: Cajamarca; Huanuco; La Libertad.

Meroleuca Meroleucoides ramicosa male, La Libertad, Peru,
courtesy of Ron Brechlin.

The male of this species has an orange forewing costa and an orange/yellow marginal band, interrupted by black wing veins and scales on all wings. The forewing pml is broadly preapical and there is no median band in this species. Ground colour is orange with grey-brown to black suffusions between veins. The forewing cell mark is slightly oval and matches, in colour, the pale orange outer tracing of the diffuse but prominent black pm band.

The hindwing is an almost uniform orangey brown with only the faintest of markings.

The Entomo-Satsphingia show a more dark grey to black moth with forewing pm band much closer to the outer margin than in the orangey-brown specimen from Claude Lemaire.

Meroleuca Meroleucoides ramicosa male (verso), Peru,
courtesy of Ron Brechlin.

Visit Peruvian Meroleucoides Comparison Table.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There is at least one brood in the dry season (November??), but this species probably broods continuously.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen, and the night-flying males pick up and track the airbourne pheromone plume with their well-developed antennae.

Meroleuca Meroleucoides ramicosa female, 60mm, La Libertad, Peru,
courtesy of Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 11 Heft 01 22.01.2018

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Meroleucoides ramicosa larvae are highly gregarious and have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae.

Larval Food Plants

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.

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