Automeris heppneri
Automeris heppneri
Lemaire, 1982
Automeris heppneri male, 68mm, Peru, BOLD Systems,
on my home computer only.
TAXONOMY:
Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Automeris, Hubner, [1819] |
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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.
Return to Main Index
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
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