Oxytenis bicornis Updated as per images from Yale Peabody Museum under Creative Commons (Sao Bento, Santa Catarina, Brazil, June 1969); December 19, 2015
Updated as per image from Enio Branco, (Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 2015); December 19, 2015

Oxytenis bicornis
Jordan, 1924

Oxytenis bicornis male, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
January 11, 2015, courtesy of Enio Branco.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834, or
Family: Oxytenidae, Jordan, 1924
Subfamily: Oxyteninae, Jordan, 1924
Genus: Oxytenis Hubner, [1819]
Type species: Phalaena modestia, Cramer, 1780

MIDI MUSIC

"The.Girl.from.Ipanema"
 midi by Mel Webb

ON.OFF
<bgsound src="Ipanem.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

The Oxytenis bicornis moth (wingspan: males: 49-50mm; females: mm) flies in
Brazil: Santa Catarina (YPM): Sao Bento; Sao Paulo (EB); probably Parana (WO?).

In some taxonomies, the Oxytenidae are treated as a distinct family rather than as a subfamily of Saturniidae.

ENT.404191: Oxytenis bicornis: Brazil. Santa Catarina State. Sao Bento,
27 Jun 1969. Digital Image: Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; photo by A. Burg

Based on the images from Enio Branco and the Yale Peabody Museum, this moth appears to be quite variable, or there may be more than one species depicted on this page. To my knowledge as of 2015 there is only one Oxytenis species described from southeastern Brazil.

Bill Oehlke

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have ben taken in June (YPM-AB) and January (EB).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

In the early instars, larvae resemble some of the Papilio species with their white saddles on a dark background suggesting a bird dropping. Genetic analysis should prove very interesting when it is finally done.

Moths eclose from pupae in as few as ten days from pupation date.

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.

Return to Oxytenis Genus

Rweturn to Main Saturniidae Index