DISTRIBUTION:

Rothschildia aurota andensis (wingspan: males: mm: females: mm // forewing length: males: mm; females: mm) flies in
central and southern Peru: Puno: Carabaya, (probably Junin) and in western Bolivia at elevations of 950(VI)-2000-3000m.

Perhaps it also flies in western Argentina, based on the following images submitted by Nigel Venters.

Rothschildia aurota andensis male, Tafe de Valle, Tucuman, Argentina,
149mm, November 18, 2009, 2000m, courtesy of Nigel Venters,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

It is also possible that the specimens from Argentina are nominate aurota or an undescribed aurota subspecies. Ezequiel Ozvaldo Nunes Bustos published a paper listing aurota in Argentina, but I do not know if he identified it to subspecific level.

Prior to 2013, this moth had been synonymized with nominate R. aurota aurota. Brechlin & Meister, 2013, have removed it from synonymity, giving it its own subspecies status as Rothschildia aurota andensis.

Rothschildia aurota andensis male, Satipo, Junin, Peru,
courtesy of Philippe Brems.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in ?. There are probably additional flight months.

This species will probably accept Ligustrum (privet), lilac, ailanthus and oak.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Like most of the Rothschildia, except for the diurnal zacateca, this species calls and pairs at night.

Rothschildia aurota andensis female, courtesy of Viktor Suter via Bernhard Wenczel.

Rothschildia aurota andensis, Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
January 2010, 1000m, courtesy of Jason Weigner, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Lemaires does not list any of the three very similar Rothschildia species: chiris, orizaba peruviana or aurota speculifera from Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia.

He does not even list R. aurota speculifera in any part of Bolivia. However, the specimen image sent to me by Jason Weigner is most consistent with images I have of R. speculifera as compared to the other two species/subspecies: least dentate pm lines on all wings, largest lighter patch near forewing apex, straightest upper third of forewing am line, greatest extension of am line to forewing hyaline area, most distinct black scaling as a diffuse, smooth line (non-dentate, non-undulating) outside white and reddish-pink bands associated with pm lines. Brechlin & Meister indicate in 2013 that R. arurota andensis flies in Bolivia.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

It is interesting to watch Rothschildia fashion their cocoons. A strong peduncle with a few support silk strands secures the structure while the larva continues "padding its nest" with a continuous back-and-forth movement of the head.

There are both inner and outer cocoons, each with a relatively long valve to facilitate eclosions.

Rothschildia aurota andensis larva, courtesy of Viktor Suter via Bernhard Wenczel.

Larval Food Plants

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

Ailanthus altissima..... Ligustrum Quercus Syringa vulgaris

Ailanthus Privet Oak Common lilac

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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 male contempory/friend/collector/etc.

The genus name "Rothschildia" probably was chosen to honour W. Rothschild.

The species/subspecies names "aurota andensis" indicates a close alliance with R. aurota aurota and a specimen type locale at high elevation (2000-3000m) on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Carabaya, Puno, Peru.