DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris heppneri (wingspan: males: 56-68mm; females: 78mm) flies in
Peru: Madre de Dios: Salvacion, and in
Ecuador: Napo: Misahualli.

Ground colour is yellowish-brown with muddy brown along the costa and around the cell which is marked by a white central dot. The apical, straight, oblique, thin, black pm line meets the inner margin close to the body. It is bordered on its upper side by a yellow strip and on its lower side by a brown strip. There is no evidence of an antemedian line or of a subterminal line.

The small hindwing eyespot has a pupil suffused in white. There is a single smooth black band.

Visit Automeris grammodes Group Comparison Plate to see thumbnails of available species from the Automeris grammodes Group, with notes to hopefully help determine species.

This species has been taken at elevations from 175m to 800m, as more of an Amazonian rather than Andean species.

Brechlin & Meister indicate the specimens (5 and 6 on Plate 63) depicted as A. grammodes in Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002 are actually A. grammoboliviana. On that same plate Item 7 is probably peggyae, and Item 8 is A. heppneri. I also suspect that Item 4 from western Canar, Ecuador, is A. unifasciatus, and Item 3 from Huanuco, Peru, might be grammodes, grammocuscoensis or grammocajamarcensis.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in March-April, June, August, October-November-December.

Larval hosts are 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.

Automeris heppneri female, 78mm, Salvacion, Madre de Dios, Peru,
November-December 1998, 500m, on my home computer only.

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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Return to Automeris Genus

Automeris grammodes Group: Comparison Chart; North to South; West; East species wingspan M; F elevation unifasciatus ?; ? 500m ? grammopiurensis 50-54mm; ? 1100m heppneri 56-68mm; 78mm 175-800m grammodes 57-62mm; 61-77mm grammocajamarcensis 48-49mm; ? 2100m peggyae 52-58mm; 62mm 1700-3000m grammocuscoensis 46-51mm; 68mm 1800-1850m grammoboliviana 48-58mm; 67-71mm 1070-3000m suteri 50-56mm; 64-70mm 2500m haxairei 56-62mm; 70mm Type location extended range W Ecuador: Bolivar; Canar NW Peru: Piura Peru: Madre de Dios Ec: Napo: Misahualli lower elevations Pe: Puno: Carabaya Ecuador: Napo ?? Peru: Cajamarca: Cutervo Pe: Junin: Calabaza Pe: Pasco: Oxapampa Ecuador: Napo?? Pe: Cusco: Quilabamba; Manu Park: S. Pedro Bo.: La Paz: Unduavi; Santa Cruz: Amboro; Coch.: Sant Pedrito Peru: Pasco: La Suiza Bolivia description strong black stain around forewing ocellus hindwing ocellus relatively small fw cell mark small, almost filled with elongated white streak subparallel to costa bright brownish-orange suffusion of scales on fw hw ocellus intermediate in size, large white pupil red hairs along hw inner margin GC: yellowish-brown, muddy brown along costa three muddy brown bars through cell cell marked with central white dot ?? possible confusion with other species ?? very small species, only one specimen analyzed very bright yellow ground colour very small hindwing ocellus fw: pinkish-orange ground colour, with light suffusion of darker scales large hindwing ocellus fw ground colour: bright yellow, with light suffusion of reddish-brown scales hindwing ocellus smaller than A. grammodes Ground colour: all wings darker yellow-orange as compared to most species. hw ocellus and white pupil relatively large forewing with large white circular cell mark hw: extensive red hairs along i.m. hw: broad red band outside black median line only superficial resemblance to this group slightly preapical pml meets i.m. outside mdpoint hw ocellus relatively large, large white pupil