DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris fieldi (wingspan: males: 65-89mm; females: 93-105mm) flies in
Colombia: Valle del Cauca and Choco;
Costa Rica: Heredia (CL), Alejuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Limon, Puntarenas. Lemaire includes Honduras: Olancho; and
Ecuador: Pichincha and Guayas. Jean Michel Maes includes Rio San juan and Zelaya in
southern Nicaragua. I suspect it is also in Panama.

This species is very similar to A. cinctistriga but has larger, squarer wings, with an eyespot more remote from the postmedial line.

Automeris occiecuatoriana = fieldi male, Durango, Ecuador, 450m, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

The forewings tend to be squarish and the slightly preapical straight pm line remains relatively close to the outer margin. The basal area and terminal area are lighter than the almost uniform grey-orange of the rest of the wing. The am and pm lines are a faint red-orange with yellow highlights on their facing sides. The cell is grey with some black dots. There is a triangular section at the costa near the apex that is accentuated with silver scales.

This species has been taken at elevations from sea level to 1600m.

The recently, 2011, described A. occiecuatoriana is now (2014) recognized as a junior synonym of A. fieldi.

Automeris occiecuatoriana = fieldi male, Los Bancos, Pichincha Province, Ecuador,
April, 2, 2003, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Automeris occiecuatoriana = fieldi male (verso), Los Bancos, Pichincha Province, Ecuador,
April, 2, 2003, courtesy of Horst Kach.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths have been taken throughout much of the year in Colombia.

Automeris fieldi female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

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.

Automeris fieldi final instar, Ecuador, courtesy of Chris Conlan.

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.

Inga edulis (CC) .......

Ice Cream Bean/Inga/Guama

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Automeris occiecuatoriana = fieldi male, Pichincha, Ecuador,
on my home computer only.