DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris choco (wingspan: males: 55-58mm; females: mm // forewing lngth: males: 28mm; females: ?? ) flies in
Colombia: Choco: San Jose del Palmar, at elevations of 1500-1600m. It has been collected by T. Decaens, 2002-08-01. I believe the images supplied by Joakim Johansson are also of Automeris choco, although I had originally dentified them as Automeris celata. This species is very close to paracelata (closest) and celata.

A. choco has an almost uniform dark brown colour without strong contrasts in lines, marks or areas. The outer margin and dark pm line are slightly convex. A. paracelata is slightly lighter in colour, darkest in the basal area with an even lightening to the outer margin which is less convex than that of A. choco. The pm line of paracelata is almost straight, turning outward only slghtly at its junctures with costa and inner margin.

* Due to shape of pm line (outward turns at costa and inner margin) noted above, I think the specimens on this page from Choco, Colombia, may more likely be th every similar A. paracelata, which could very well have a range extension from Puntarenas, Costa Rica, into western Colombia.

In his Hemileucinae 2002 Lemaire recognizes four species in the Automeris montezuma Species Group 7:

Automeris montezuma HT Mexico: Jalisco; mfwl: 29-32mm (28)
Automeris celata HT Costa Rica: Cartago; mfwl: 30-35mm (5)
Automeris escalantei HT Mexico: Chiapas; 32-35mm (12)
Automeris pallidior HT Guatemala: Baja Verapaz or Costa Rica; mfwl: 26-30mm (15).

Lemaire indicates additional range data (countries) for the four species listed above. Some of that data, other than Holotype may apply to the newer species listed below that were not recognized by Lemaire as distinct. The number in parenthesis indicates the sample size. Forewing length and range may change considerably as more specimens are sampled.

In Entomo Satsphingia, Jahrgang 4 Heft 1 23 03 2011 by Brechlin and Meister, those authors add nine species to the Automeris montezuma Species Group 7:

Automeris juarezia HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 900-1050m; mfwl: 35-36 (8) uniform ground colour; concave, broadly preapical pm line
Automeris altapazia HT Guatemala: Alta Verapaz; 1200m; mfwl: 37mm (1); specimen in Lemaire 2002, Plate 60: 10 is A. altapazia
Automeris wernermeisteri HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 1023-1530m; mfwl: 32-33mm (12); pale ground colour; thick, dark pm line very concave; very small hw ocellus; hw median band divides wing into inner 2/3 and outer 1/3; similar to A. pallidior
Automeris managuana HT Nicaragua: Managua; 865m; mfwl: 30mm (1); lighter median area, contrasting om area,; lines outlined in lighter scales on facing sides
Automeris jinotega HT Nicaragua: Jinotega; 1185-1280m; mfwl: 27-30mm (7)
Automeris paracelata HT Costa Rica: Puntarenas; 900m; mfwl: 30-32 (5); very similar to A. celata
Automeris choco HT Colombia: Choco; 1500m; mfwl: 28mm (1); evenly dark brown; slightly convex pm line, subparallel to slightly convex outer margin
Automeris stumpei HT Costa Rica: Limon; 1430m; mfwl: 34mm (1) almost straight pm line, subparallel to outer margin; fw: almost uniform light brown ground colour; hindwing ocellus with tiny white pupil
Automeris knorkeorum HT Mexico: Oaxaca; 677-1023m; mfwl: 30-32mm (5); fw: light coloured, bright; fw pm line slightly concave; small hindwing ocellus; hw median band divides hw in half.

Brechlin & Meister provide no additional range data beyond type locations for the newly described species. Perhaps the new species are very limited in their ranges, but it is also quite possible that a number of species are sympatric, and it would be a mistake to determine species strictly by stated location for the type specimens.

Automeris choco* male, Las Tangaras on western slope of Cordillera Rio Atrato, Choco, Colombia,
March 7, 2011, 1600m, courtesy of Joakim Johansson, tentative id by Bill Oehlke * possibly A. paracelata.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

The specimen type was taken on 2002-08-01 in San Jose del Palmar, Choco, Colombia. I believe there is also a March flight, and there may be other flight months.

Host plants remain unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use their more highly developed antennae to seek out females who release an airbourne pheromone into the night sky.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters of 6-40+ on hostplant twigs. Larvae have urticating spines and are gregarious, especially in the early instars.

Larval Food Plants

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 species name, "cjoco" is indicative of a specimen type location in Choco Department, Colombia.