DISTRIBUTION:

Paradaemonia terrena (wingspan: males: 89-96mm; females: 112-117mm) flies in damp tropical and equatorial woods in
French Guiana: Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, Cayenne, Kaw, Cacao;
Guyana;
north central Brazil: Amapa; and
Venezuela: Bolivar.

I suspect (now confirmed (JvB) it also flies in Suriname.

This species is smaller than similar species and has a much paler ground colour.

Paradaemonia terrena male, Brownsberg National Park, Brokopondo District, Suriname,
July 8, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

FGS reports a flight in French Guiana in November-December. There may be additional flights. Andres Urbas reports an April 25, 2011, flight near Kaw, French Guiana. Johan van't Bosch reports a July flight in Suriname.

Paradaemonia terrena (female), French Guiana, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Paradaemonia terrena male, French Guiana, courtesy of Carlot Didier.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS 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 "terrena" probably means earthly and may have to do with the pale brown colouration of the wings.

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Paradaemonia terrena male, Kaw, French Guiana, Rene Lahousse,
November, on my home computer only, photo copyright Rene Lahousse.

Paradaemonia terrena male, Cacao, French Guiana, Andre Cloud,
December, on my home computer only, photo copyright Rene Lahousse.

Paradaemonia terrena courtesy of Entomo Service