Pseudautomeris ophthalmica
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008

Pseudautomeris ophthalmica
(Moore, 1883) Automeris

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
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Pseudautomeris, Lemaire, 1967

MIDI MUSIC

"What.A.Wonderful.World"
copyright C. Odenkirk
MIDI CITY
ON.OFF
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DISTRIBUTION:

Pseudautomeris ophthalmica flies in
southeastern Brazil: Sao Paulo. This may or may not be a good species. It was poorly described from a single female specimen which has been lost. The description provided by Moore could have matched a good number of other females in the genus.

I have not been able to place the following two males from Minas Gerais with any of the known species from southeastern Brazil. They have the prominent, yellow inward lining of the pm line of both grammivora and hubneri, but they lack the black, dorsal, abdominal colouration of hubneri, and the pm lines seem upwardly convex and not nearly as oblique as in grammivora. Perhaps they are opthalmica males or something undescribed.

Pseudautomeris brasiliensis more likely grammivora or something undescribed, male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
August 7, 2012, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

Pseudautomeris brasiliensis more likely grammivora or something undescribed, male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
August 20, 2012, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth likely has two broods annually. Larvae eat Iris foliage.

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 in the two hours before midnight.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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


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.

Iris.....

Iris

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