DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris stumpei (wingspan: males: 66-67mm; females: mm // forewing length: males: 34mm; females: ) flies in
Costa Rica: Limon: Mount Kamuk, 9.5, -83.6667, 2008-06-01.

This is one of the larger of the paler species in the Automeris montezuma species group. In his Hemileucinae 2002 Lemaire recognizes four species in the Automeris montezuma Species Group 7:

Automeris montezuma HT Mexico: Jalisco;
Automeris celata HT Costa Rica: Cartago; mfwl: 30-35mm (5)
Automeris escalantei HT Mexico: Chiapas;
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)
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; 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)
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).

Brechlin & Meister provide no additional range data beyond type locations for the newly described species. Perhaps they 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 given location for the type specimens.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in Costa Rica in June?? (Mirror)

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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