DISTRIBUTION:

The Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana moth (wingspan: males: 148-178mm; females: 155-183-188mm (HM)) flies in damp tropical and equatorial woods in
coastal Colombia: Choco, Valle del Cauca, Nariona, Caqueta and probably Cauca; and
eastern and western Ecuador: Esmeraldas (CM/JMG), Pichincha (HM), Canar (LTR), Los Rios (LTR), and possibly Carchi and Imbabura; and
also in Peru: Puno; in habitats with elevations between 700m and 1800m.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana male, La Union del Toachi, Alluriquin, Pichincha, Ecuador,
980m, January 2003, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana, male, Esmeraldas, Ecuador, courtesy of Carlos Mielke.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana, female, Calderon, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
December 1, 2013, 100m, courtesy of Jean-Marc Gayman.

This species is larger than both R. h. hippodamia and R. h. norax and has a deeper, richer ground colour. The upper side of the female's abdomen is deeper brown than on the sides. This subspecies has the third dark marking at M1, absent in nominate hippodamia.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana, female, Esmeraldas, Ecuador, courtesy of Carlos Mielke.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana female, La Union del Toachi, Alluriquin, Pichincha, Ecuador,
188mm, 980m, January 22, 2003, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana female, La Union del Toachi, Alluriquin, Pichincha, Ecuador,
980m, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Hubert Mayer reports a January flight in Pichincha, Ecuador.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana female courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana males use their antennae to seek out females (above) which scent at night.

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.

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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 contempory friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of the genus name 'Rhescyntis' chosen by Hubner in 1819.

The species name 'hippodamia' is from Greek mythology. Hippodamia, the daughter of Oenomaus, wished to marry Pelops, so she persuaded Myrtilus, son of Hermes, to help Pelops win the chariot race against her father, according to Apollodorus.

The subspecies name, 'colombiana', is for the range in Colombia.