DISTRIBUTION:

Rhescyntis pseudomartii (wingspan: males: 136-176mm; females: 138-156mm // forewing length: males: 85.7mm; females: 81.7mm) flies in damp tropical and equatorial woods in
southeastern Brazil: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Parana (CM), Sao Paulo (JC): Tapirai (EB), Santa Catarina (HM), and Rio Grande do Sul.

Ezequiel Osvaldo Núñez Bustos sent me a paper in August 2015 which includes Rhescyntis pseudomartii in northeastern Argentina, probably Misiones.

This species has a very pale antemedian area and contrasting triple or quadruple median bands on the forewings.

A very similar but generally larger species (males: 160-172mm), Rhescyntis hippodamia gigantia, is probably sympatric with Rhescyntis pseudomartii throughout much of its range in southeastern Brazil. The median field in psudomartii is generally lighter and brighter beige while the same area in gigantia is a dull, light brown. More importantly the curved fw pm lines (4-5 of them) are distinct in pseudomartii are quite prominent and distinct whereas is gigantia those same lines (fewer of them) are vestigial at best.

Rhescyntis pseudomartii male, courtesy of Evgeny V. Komarov.

Rhescyntis pseudomartii male, S. Bento Do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
courtesy of Daniel Rojas Lanus

Rhescyntis pseudomartii male (verso), Sao Paulo, Brazil,
October 1, 2014, courtesy of Enio Branco

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths have been taken in August (JC). Specimens have been taken in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in April. There probably are additional flight months. Enio Branco provides a large series of photos taken in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March, August, September, October, November. I suspect there are at least two to four generations each year.

Rhescyntis pseudomartii female, Rio Natal, 500 m, Sao Bento do Sul, SC, Brazil,
courtesy of Carlos Mielke, copyright

Rhescyntis pseudomartii female, Tapirai, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
September 3, 2014, courtesy of Enio Branco

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Rhescyntis pseudomartii males use their antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

Rhescyntis pseudomartii pair, Sao Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
2006, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

Rhescyntis pseudomartii male, Sao Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
2006, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana?? male, western Ecuador, courtesy of Hubert Mayer copyright.

I believe the moth depicted above is incorrectly identified and is probably not from western Ecuador. It appears to be Rhescyntis pseudomartii to me (WO). There are many distint pm lines, and the am line the Hubert Mayer image is much different than in the images of the other moths on the Rhescyntis hippodamia colombiana page.

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.

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

Return to Rhescyntis Genus

Return to Main Index

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 'pseudomartii' is from the likeness of this moth to the name 'martii' mistakenly assigned by Perty to a female Rhescyntis hippodamia hippodamia. The original name 'martii' was honourific for Marti or Mart.