DISTRIBUTION:

Automerella miersi (wingspan: males: probably smaller than females; female: 45-47-49(CM)mm) flies in southeastern Brazil: Santa Catarina.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Females have been taken in December. With no males taken as yet, it is possible they are diurnal.

Larvae will likely accept Fagus, Ligustrum, Quercus and Robinia pseudoacacia.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Automerella miersi moths fly in December.

Females come to lights at night, but males have not been taken at lights, suggesting they are perhaps diurnal.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae probably have urticating spines and are probably gregarious in their habits, at least in the early instars.

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.

Fagus Liburnum Quercus Robinia pseudoacacia.....

Beech Privet Oak False acacia

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of the genus name 'Automerella', but it may have been for the likeness to small Automeris species.

The species name, 'miersi' is honourific for H. Miers.

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