DISTRIBUTION:

Paradaemonia orsilochus (wingspan: males: 130-145mm; females: 112-152mm) flies in southeastern Brazil: Parana (CM), Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina; Minas Gerais (PDMG).

This large, dark brown species is similar to P. andensis, but the postmedian line components remain fused from the inner margin to M1 instead of to M3. There are usually coppery brown markings in the terminal areas of the forewings.

Paradaemonia orsilochus male, Rio Vermelho, Santa Catarina, Brazil, Claude Lemaire.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Patricia De Mendonca Goncalves reports a July flight in Capim Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Paradaemonia orsilochus males use their antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

Paradaemonia orsilochus LT female, Central Brazil, Claude Lemaire.

Paradaemonia orsilochus/berlai, Capim Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
July 18, 2016, Patricia De Mendonca Goncalves, tentative id by Bill Oehlke
Most likely Paradaemonia orsilochus female.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

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.

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 "Paradaemonia" chosen by Bouvier in 1925. It could be because these moths are so similar to "Dysdaemonia", a combination meaning 'bad spirit'.

The species name "orsilochus" is from Orsilochus, a military figure in Homer's Iliad.

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