COPAXA OF THE WORLD

COPAXA Walker, 1855

The Copaxa belong to the Saturniini tribe, Boisduval, 1837 of the Subfamily Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 in the Saturniidae Family. These moths fly from Mexico into northern South America (Brazil). In most cases there appear to be at least three broods annually and both males and females come in to lights, except for the diurnal males at high altitude.

Larvae spin cocoons.

Lemaire divides them into five main groups based on the following characters:

Decrescens Group, based on a single small (non-ringed) discal spot on each wing and a straight forewing submarginal line:
Ia) decrescens, andescens, marona, niepelti*, ignescens*, troetschi, yungescens, koenigi, yungaskeonigoides, ?cineracea?,
Ib) rufinans, pararufinans, rudloffi, moinieri, curvilinea, appolinairei, rufijaliscensis*, rufimichoacanensis*, winbrechlini, wolfei.

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II) Multifenestrata Group, based on several small discal spots on the forewing and usually on hindwing (except for expandens and andensis) and a straight forewing submarginal line:
australoescalantei*, m. multifenestrata, conlani, denda*, garciorum*, kitchingi*, knorkei*, litensis*, madrediosiana*, mazaorum*, mexcentralis*, mielkeorum*, novocineracea*, rufotincta, rufa, escalantei, satellita, yungallita, cineracea, denhezi, schmidti*, siriae*, sophronia*?, syntheratoides*?, trottierorum*?, vanschaycki*, wernermeisteri*, yungallita*, andensis, andorientalis.

III) Expandens Group:
amazpandens*, expandens, expandens brunneocaeca, yungaspandens, cuscoexpandens, satipoexpandens,

sophronia, syntheratoides, denda, trottierorum, litensis, novocineracea,

andensis, andorientalis*, pascoandensis, cuscoandensis, peggyae.

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IV) Canella Group, based on typical saturniine eyespot on each wing and straight forewing submarginal line:
IVa) Canella Subgroup:
bireni*, canella, flavina, flavobrunnea, joinvillea, miranda, simson.

IVb) lavendera subgroup:
lavendera, lavenderoguatemalensis, lavenderohidalgensis, lavenderojaliscensis, parvohidalgensis

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V) Sapatoza Group: High Altitude Group, based on a typical saturniine eyespot or kidney-shaped translucent discal spot on each wing and wavy forewing submarginal line:

intermediata, orientalis, semioculata, sapatoza, sinjaevi, bella, corralesi*, lunula, bachuea, anikae, sinjaevi, chrisbrechlinae, herbuloti, simoni, carolinae

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VI) Medea Group:
medea, ockendeni

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VII) Cydippe Group:
chimaltenangensis*, cydippe, haxairei, evelynae, purulhensis*, sanmarcosiana*

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VIII) Copaxoides Group, based on typical saturniine eyespot on each wing and wavy forewing submarginal line:
copaxoides, muellerana, mannana.

Unassigned:

rufa, cineracea

Three species that do not belong to any of the groups are denda, mannana and cydippe.

Copaxa kitchingi, Piura-Huancabamba, northwestern Peru,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Please note: The advent of DNA barcoding has resulted in many new descriptions. In many cases the "new" species are quite similar to existing species. Do not be surprised if even more refined testing or revisions of thresholds of difference in the future results in some synonymies or even more species/subspecies. Subsequent rearing may or may not indicate differences in larval appearance. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

P indicates an image is available. The first country listed is the specimen type locality.

Listing of Copaxa

P lavenderohondurensis Brechlin & Meister 2014 Honduras: Lempira; Ocotopeque
P cydiphondurensis Brechlin & Meister 2014 Honduras: Lempira; Cortes
P hondfenestrata Brechlin & Meister 2014 Honduras: El Paraiso; Santa Barbara; Francisco Morazan; Comayagua; Cortes
N peggyae Brechlin & Meister 2013 French Guiana
N niepelti Draudt, 1929 Colombia; removed from synonimity with ignescens by Brechlin & Meister 2012
N amazpandens Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Peru: Amazonas, near Iquitos, 460 m., Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, VII.1999
P andensis Lemaire, 1971 western Colombia, western Ecuador
P andescens Brechlin and Meister, 2012 replaces decrescens from eastern Ecuador to Bolivia (RB)
P andorientalis Brechlin & Meister, 2012 northeastern Peru: eastern Cajamarca; eastern Ecuador: Napo, Morona-Santiago, Zamora-Chinchipe
"C. andorientalis is the eastern Andean sister species [of andensis] from NE Peru ([East] Cajamarca dept.) and eastern Ecuador (e.g. those ones reported by Horst Kach as andensis from Napo [but also from Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe]) is recently [ESS 5-2] described C. andorientalis by Brechlin & Meister, 2012." RB July 2012
P anikae Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Cusco: Vallee Marcapata, Pont Amacho, 2004-10-17, was a paratype of bella
P apollinairei Lemaire, 1978 eastern Colombia
N arianae Brechlin, Meister & Kaech, 2013 Ecuador: Napo
P australoescalantei Brechlin & Meister 2010 Guatemala: Zacapa La Union, 1991-10-10
Nicaragua: Jinotega, 2007-05-18;
Nicaragua: Nueva Segovia: El Horno 11 km from Dipilto, 2007-05-19
Costa Rica: Parque Nacional del Volcan Arenal: Cerro Chato, 10.26, -84.41; 2008-09-01;
probably Guatemala to Panama??
P bachuea Wolfe, 2005 Iguaque, Boyaca, Colombia; Venezuela, Ecuador
P bella Wolfe, Naumann, Brosch, Wenczel and Nassig, 2005 Peru
P bireni Beneluz, 2008 French Guiana
P canella Walker, 1855 southeastern Brazil
P carolinae Brechlin, Kaech & Meister 2011 Ecuador: Napo; Morona-Santiago
N chimaltenangensis Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Guatemala: Chimaltenango: near Tecpán, 2300 m., June 1-8, 2008; Cydippe Group
N chrisbrechlinae Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Piura
P cineracea W. Rothscild, 1895 Ecuador, Peru
P conlani Brechlin & Meister 2010 Costa Rica; Panama: Chiriqui: Rd. Volcan to Rio Sereno, Santa Clara, 2009-07-01
P copaxoides (Dyar, 1912) Mexico
N corralesi Brechlin & Meister, 2012, Peru: Cajamarca, Ciudad de San Ignacio, near Cerro El Chaupe.
P curvilinea Schaus, 1912 Costa Rica, Nicaragua
N cuscoandensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Cusco
N cuscoexpandens Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Cusco
P cydippe (Druce, 1894) Mexico
P decrescens Walker, 1855 Brazil; now limited to southeastern Brazil; Ron Brechlin, 2012
f. niepelti Draudt, 1929, Colombia, is same as decrescens; now (2012) synonymized with ignescens, and all may be troetschi
P denda Druce, 1894 Mexico
P denhezi Lemaire, 1971 Colombia
P escalantei Lemaire, 1971 Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
P evelynae Wolfe & Lemaire, 1993 Guatemala, Honduras
P expandens expandens Walker, 1855 Venezuela, Ecuador
trimacula W. Rothschild, 1895, Central America, is same as expandens expandens
anestios Weymer, 1909, "West Africa" ?, is same as expandens expandens
arpi Gschwandner, 1925, Brazil, is same as expandens expandens
P expandens brunnaeocaeca Lemaire, 1982 Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
P flavina flavina Draudt, 1929 Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
P flavina miranda Lemaire, 1971 Bolivia, Peru, Argentina
P flavobrunnea Bouvier, 1930 Brazil, Argentina
Copaxa joinvillea f. vitellina Draudt, 1929, Brazil, is same as flavobrunnea
P garciorum Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Oaxaca
P haxairei Herbin, 2009 Mexico: Sinalao
P herbuloti Lemaire, 1971 Peru
N hoehni Brechlin, Meister & Kaech, 2013 Ecuador: Napo
P ignescens Lemaire, 1978 western Colombia
P intermediata Wolfe, 2005 Andes, west of Cuenca, Ecuador, Peru
P joinvillea Schaus, 1921 Santa Catarina, Brazil
draudti Niepelt, 1933, Brazil, is same as joinvillea
N kaechi Brechlin, Meister & Kaech, 2013 Ecuador: Carchi
P kitchingi Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Lambayeque: Alba Porcuya, 2008-01-01
Peru: Lambayeque: Penachi, 2007-03-01
Peru: Piura: Abra Porculla, 2002-01-15
Peru: Piura: Abra Porculla, 2007-01-02
N knorkei Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Mexico: Chiapas
Mexico, Est. Chiapas, 130 km. Palenque-Lacanja, 310 m., 29-30.V.2011. leg. F. Meister & A. Knorke.
P koenigi Lemaire, 1974 eastern Peru, Ecuador
P lavendera (Westwood, [1854]) Mexico to Nicaragua
Saturnia chapata Westwood, 1854, Mexico, is same as lavendera
plenkeri C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860, Mexico, is same as lavendera
var. conjuncta Bouvier, 1925, Mexico, is same as lavendera
var. pygmaea Bouvier, 1929, "Argentina"?, Mexico, is same as lavendera
P lavenderoguatemalensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Guatemala
P lavenderohidalgensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Hidalgo
P lavenderojaliscensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Jalisco
P litensis Wolfe & Conlan, 2002 northwestern Ecuador
P lunula Wolfe & Conlan, 2003 central Bolivia
P madrediosana Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Madre de Dios [TL], Cusco, Pasco (RB)
P mannana Dyar, 1914 Mexico
P marona Schaus, 1906, French Guiana, Guyana (RB, 2012), probably Suriname (WO?), revised from synonymity with decrescens Ronald Brechlin & Frank Meister, Stat. rev., 2010.
P mazaorum Lemaire, 1982 Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador
P medea (Maassen, 1890) Ecuador, northern Peru
Saturnia ockendeni (Druce, 1906), Peru, is same as medea; now raised to full species status
Saturniodes carina (Jordan, 1911), Peru, is same as medea
Saturniodes charila (Jordan, 1911), Peru, is same as medea
Saturniodes miles (Jordan, 1911), Peru, is same as medea
Saturniodes orios (Jordan, 1913), Peru, is same as medea
N mexcentralis Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Mexico: Mexico: Ixtapan del Oro, 1800 m.
P mielkeorum Brechlin & Meister 2010 Brazil: Bahia [TL]; Santa Catarina; Para: Santarem, -0.95, -46.9833, 2006-06-01;
Argentina: Misiones: San Pedro, Reinhard Foerster, 2004-11-21,
P moinieri Lemaire, 1974 Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
P muellerana (Dyar, 1920) Mexico
Saturnia f. heringi (Draudt, 1929), "Panama"?, is same as muellerana
P multifenestrata (Herrich-Schaffer, [1858]) Panama, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
polythyris Druce, 1886, ?, is same as multifenestrata
rufotincta W. Rothschild, 1895, Panama, is same as multifenestrata; now raised to full species status
chorias Druce, 1897, ?, is same as multifenestrata
f. flavescens Draudt, 1929, ?, is same as multifenestrata
f. olivina Draudt, 1929, ?, is same as multifenestrata
P novocineracea Brechlin & Meister, 2009 Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador
P ockendeni Druce, 1906), southern Peru, Bolivia
P orientalis orientalis Lemaire, 1975 Ecuador, Colombia
N orientalis guamaniana Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Peru: Piura
P pararufinans Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Oaxaca (HT); Veracruz, Chiapas
P parvohidalgensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Hidalgo
P pascoandensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Pasco
N peggyae Brechlin & Meister, 2013 French Guiana: Cayenne, Kaw Mountains
N purulhensis Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Guatemala: Baja Verapaz: near Purulhá
P rudloffi Brechlin & Meister 2010 Costa Rica, Nicaragua
P rufa Draudt, 1929 Mexico
P rufinans Schaus, 1908 Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador
decrescens f. olivina Draudt, 1929, Mexico, is same as rufinans
decrescens f. purpurascens Draudt, 1929, Mexico, is same as rufinans
N rufimichoacanensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Michoacan
N rufijaliscensis Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Jaslisco
P rufotincta Rothschild, 1895 Panama; perhaps to western Ecuador?
N sanmarcosiana Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Guatemala: San Marcos: near San Marcos town, Sierra Madre, 1900m, 14.XI.2007; Cydippe Group
P sapatoza (Westwood, [1854]) Bogota, Colombia
P satellita Walker, 1865 Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina
P satipoexpandens Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: Junin: Satipo
P schmiti Brechlin & Meister 2010 Nicaragua: Jinotega: El Gobiado, 2006-09-15
P semioculata (R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874) Venezuela, Colombia
N simoni Brechlin, Kaech & Meister 2011 Ecuador: Morona Santiago
P simson Maassen & Weymer, 1881 Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil
N sinjaevi Brechlin & Meister 2010 Bolivia: La Paz
P siriae Brechlin & Meister, 2012 Mexico: Durango; Sinaloa, Nayarit
P sophronia Schaus, 1921 Guatemala, southern Mexico, Honduras
P syntheratoides W. Rothschild, 1895 Costa Rica, Panama
P troetschi Druce, 1886 Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
P trottierorum Beneluz, 1986 Costa Rica
P vanschaycki Brechlin & Meister 2010 Peru: San Martin (TL); Amazonas
N wernermeisteri Brechlin & Meister 2010 Mexico: Chiapas: San Gabriel, 2002-08-01
P winbrechlini Brechlin, Kaech & Meister 2011 Ecuador: Esmeraldas; Pichincha
N witti Brechlin, Meister & Kaech, 2013 Ecuador: Pichincha
P wolfei Masters, Naumann, Brosch, & Wenczel, 2005 Peru
P yungaskoenigoides Brechlin & Meister 2010 Bolivia: LaPaz: Nor Yungas
P yungallita Brechlin & Meister 2012 Bolivia: Chapare
P yungaspandens Brechlin & Meister 2010 Bolivia: La Paz: Nor Yungas
N yungescens Brechlin & Meister 2010 Bolivia: LaPaz: Nor Yungas

Unidentified Copaxa

Panama Copaxa id chart
Peru Copaxa id chart

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Copaxa novocineracea

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Email from Ron Brechlin, July 5, 2012

Dear Bill (CC: Kirby),

haven´t heard from each other for a quite long time (I am [nearly] always very busy); but I have had a closer look at your Copaxa list and found some (in my opinion) mistakes/news:

C. andensis: the true andensis is described from W Colombia and probably occurs also in W Ecuador (I have caught some specimens at Pichincha prov.). The E Andean sister species from NE Peru ([East] Cajamarca dept.) and E Ecuador (e.g. those ones reported by HK as andensis from Napo [but also from MS and Zamora-Ch.]) is recently [ESS 5-2] described as C. andorientalis by Brechlin & Meister, 2012. (done)

C. bachuea: the figured bachuea-female (and larva as well?) by Kirby is/should be true bachuea s.s. but not at all simoni. The same (error) I found under C. simoni. (done)

The first (smaller figured) female of/as koenigi by EvS is a true female of C. wolfei. (done)

The "litensis"-specimens by HK are (nearest) rufotincta. (done)

Cop. "madrediosiana" by EvS from Ecuador should be satellita. (done)

Cop. "satellita" from Pasco should be madrediosiana. (done) The same one from Peru by EvS (done). Those ones from Chapare/Bolivia should be either madrediosiana or (more likely) the recently described yungallita B& M, 2012 (ESS 5-2). (done)

The figured Cop. "yungescens" is a specimen of the also recently described C. andescens B& M, 2012 (ESS 5-2). C. andescens is a replacement name for the E Andean (from at least E Ecuador to Bolivia) specimens of decrescens s.l. (the true decrescens s.s. is restricted to S[E] Brazil). In addition C. marona occurs in Guyana and niepelti (with its new synonym ignescens) in W Colombia and finally troetschi further northwest (Panama/CR). It would be not a big surprise to me if finally niepelti/ignescens would sink into troetschi.

These were some notes only; I did not check all figures just now.

And finally "sorry" for the confusions we certainly made with some of our new descriptions! ;-)

Best wishes,

Ron