DISTRIBUTION:

Paradaemonia thelia (wingspan: males: 74-103mm; females: 92-105mm // forewing length: males: 58.1-59.3mm; females: 67.3mm) flies in
Paraguay: Asuncion, Guaira, Concepcion, Canindeyu, Caaguazu, Alto Parana, Paraguari, Cordillera; Itapua;
northeastern Argentina: Misiones; and
southern Brazil: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana (CM), Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goias and the Federal District.

Paradaemonia thelia, P N San Rafael, Itapua, Paraguay,
August-September, 2008, courtesy of Paul Smith.

This smaller species has a pale orangey brown ground colour with a black contrasting outer border in the baso-median area. The forewing apex is not at all prominent.

Paradaemonia thelia female, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Paul Smith indicates an August-September flight in Itapua, Paraguay.

Moths are on the wing in February-April, June, and September-November in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Larvae feed on Pykasu rembi'u (Chrysophyllum marginatum) in the Sapotaceae family.

Paradaemonia thelia female, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE: Females deposit eggs singly on the upper surfaces of the natural host, Chrysophyllum marginatum. Larval development is very rapid, lasting as few as eighteen days. Remarkably, larvae can attain lengths of 52mm in this short time period. First istar larvae are reddish-orange with black spines. Second to fifth instar larvae are green.

Moths emerged from pupae (35mm long) 32-37 days following pupation date.

Information and images on this page courtesy of Eurides Furtado. Eurides pictures and information are published in Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22 (l): 1-4, March 2005.

Larvae descend tree trunks and excavate subterranean chambers in which to pupate.

Paradaemonia thelia second instar, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Paradaemonia thelia third instar, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Paradaemonia thelia fourth instar, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Paradaemonia thelia fifth instar, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Paradaemonia thelia pupa, courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

The following images are provided by Bruno Moraes. I have tentatively identified them as Paradaemonia thelia.

Paradaemonia thelia?? fifth instar, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
December 12, 2016, courtesy of Bruno Moraes, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Paradaemonia thelia?? fifth instar, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
December 12, 2016, courtesy of Bruno Moraes, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) courtesy of personal communication (Eurides Furtado). 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.

Chrysophyllum marginatum ..EF.......

Pykasu rembi'u

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