DISTRIBUTION:

Actias azteca is endemic to Guatemala and Mexico.

This may or not be a valid species; the single example in question is a small short tailed specimen.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Actias luna azteca, Mexico, female courtesy of Eric van Schayck.
http://www.saturniidae-mundi.de/Oschayck/schayck.htm

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the posterior tip of the abdomen to call in night-flying males.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. 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.

Liquidambar styraciflua.....

Sweetgum

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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.

"Azteca" comes from the Aztec Indians.

The genus name, Actias, probably comes from the Greek Actaeon, who is the hunter who had the misfortune of being torn to pieces by his own dogs after accidentally encountering the naked goddess Artemis. To punish him, Artemis splashed water on Actaeon and turned him into a stag. There is an Asian species named Actias artemis.