Pseudautomeris grammivora
(Jones, 1908) Automeris

Pseudautomeris grammivora male, Emerald, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
May 2, 2019, courtesy of Edson Fabro Gasperin.

Pseudautomeris grammivora male, Argentina, courtesy of Eric van Schayck

Pseudautomeris grammivora female, Argentina, courtesy of Eric van Schayck

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke.
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Genus: Pseudautomeris, Lemaire, 1967

DISTRIBUTION:

Pseudautomeris grammivora (wingspan: males: 60-75mm; females: 65-95mm; usually between 85-95mm) flies in
Brazil: Minas Gerais; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Parana; Santa Catarina; Rio Grande do Sul; and in
Argentina: Buenos Aires; Entre Rios; and in
Uruguay in tropical rain forest and subtropical forests. Alejandro Borquez indicates they prefer humid swampy places in Argentina.

Most of the information on this page for Argentina comes from Alejandro Borquez.

Visit Pseudautomeris grammivora male, female, foodplant, eggs, larvae, cocoon, images, Argentina, courtesy of Alejandro Borquez.

Visit Pseudautomeris grammivora instars 1-6 on bamboo, Argentina, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

The cream-yellow/brown postmedian line does not reach the inner margin and tends to be somewhat curved.

Very oblique, slightly preapical, brown pm line, with a very strong inward tracing of yellow, distinguishes this species. The pm line approaches the inner third of the inner margin, but does not meet it. The am line is absent or very week. Cell usually concolorous, sometimes slightly darker than surroundings. Often with suffusion of darker scales in the subterminal area. 750m

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There are probably at least three broods annually with recorded specimens on the wing in January-March, May-July; September, October and December. Larvae feed on Rottboellia compressa / Hemarthria compressa.

In Argentina, Alejandro Borquez indicates there are three flights each year, the first one in October, the second one in January and the last one in March. Adults are attracted by the lights in those months.

Larvae feed on Typha latifolia, common name Totora. It is an herbaceous plant with long vertical leaves in the shape of tape, and it grows in very damp places. Leaves grow to lengths of 1 to 2 meters. It blooms in spring and is resistant to the frosts.

Other hosts are Lirio pseudoacorus, common name yellow Lirio, and Acoro falso, bastardo Acoro. Leaves are also tape-like, with lengths up to 1.2 meters. This plant was introduced from the Mediterranean region; it is exotic in Buenos Aires, therefore invasive. It also grows in humid places.

Pseudautomeris grammivora female-Ex ovum, José C. Paz, Pcia. Buenos Aires, Argentina,
January, 15, 2011, courtesy of Alejandro Borquez.

Pseudotomeris grammivora female, courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen to call in the night-flying males. Most male activity occurs from 10:00 pm until shortly after midnight.

Pseudautomeris grammivora pair, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Pseudautomeris grammivora larvae are similar to Automeris larvae, being gregarious and having urticating spines.

The cocoon is single-walled and thin. Alejandro Bourquez indicates the adults eclose in spring, copulate, and females deposit eggs in irregular form on Totora's long leaves or Lirio of river. From 15 to 20 eggs can be deposited in a single group, with females laying totals of 90-110 eggs. Eggs incubate for 13 to 15 days. Early instar larvae are gregarious, and tend to feed on the more tender ends of the leaves. Up to the third instar they remain united. They have a wide array of spines which can cause much pain to pests/predators.

In the fifth and last instar, with a size of 80 mm to 100 mm, larvae fashion a cocoon adhering to host plant foliage or to nearby foliage.

Non-diapausing pupae yield adults within 25 to 27 days. The parasitism is very frequent by memeber of the Ichneumonidae family.

Pseudautomeris grammivora fifth instar, Villa Real, Buenos Aires, Argentina,
February 23, 2008, courtesy of Sr. Aníbl Rubén González

Larval Food Plants

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

Acoro falso Bamboo (LS) Lirio pseudoacorus Rottboellia compressa....... Typha latifolia

Bastard Acoro Bamboo Yellow Lirio Grasses/whipgrass/couch grass Totora

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Pseudautomeris grammivora courtesy of Pablo Wagner.

I am not sure of the identification of the species in the two images below, but more and more I do not think grammivora is a good choice. The am line is more visible than would be expected in grammivora. The pm line seems more convex toward the innner margin and the pm line terminates well before meetnig the inner margin in grammivora. In the images below the pm line seems more convex toward the costa and seems to terminate, almost reaching the inner margin. I think these specimens might be of the unknown male of ophthalmica or something undescribed. Next guess would be brasiliensis, which generally does not have such a prominent, inner, creamy-yellow tracing of the pm line.

Pseudautomeris ophthalmica/brasiliensis???, male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
August 7, 2012, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

Pseudautomeris opthalmica/brasiliensis???, male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
August 20, 2012, courtesy of Larry Valentine.