DISTRIBUTION:

Automeris tamaulipasiana (wingspan: males: 60-64mm; females: mm) flies in
Mexico: Tamaulipas, and probably Nueva Leon and south to Mexico City.

Lemaire had equated the more reddish specimens, listed as form ferruginea from eastern Mexico, with the darker, much less red Automeris iris iris from southwestern Mexico: Oaxaca.

Note the extended red along the hindwing inner margin, the rosy tint to the hindwing costa, and the red abdominal banding on the Kelly Price image from Hidalgo. I would have expected, however, the hindwing submarginal band to have a more reddish tint as per the image in the Entomo Satsphingia journal for A. tamaulipasiana.

Automeris tamaulipasiana ??, male, San Luis Potosi, Mexico,
courtesy of Daniel Herbin, id by Bill Oehlke.

Recent DNA barcoding results, as reported by Brechlin and Meister, 2011, indicate that Automeris iris hesselorum, which Lemaire treated as a synonym of A. iris iris, should be elevated as a distinct species, Automeris hesselorum, flying in Arizona: Santa Cruz; and northwestern Mexico: Sonora, Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Nyarit.

The DNA results, as interpreted by Brechlin and Meister, 2011, also indicate that those specimens from northeastern Mexico: Tamaulipas and probably Nueva Leon are another distinct species, Automeris tamaulipasiana. If I am translating Brechlin and Meister correctly, I think Automeris tamaulipasiana corresponds to the "iris form ferruginea" which is from Mexico City, so Automeris tamaulipasiana would have a range as far to the southeast as at least Mexico City.

These three moths, iris, hesselorum and tamaulipasiana, are also distinct from Automeris occidentalis (previously synonymized with iris), which is reported from Guerrero, in western Mexico.

Lemaire, in his Hemileucinae, 2002, treated all of the above as forms of iris, rather than distinct species, and Lemaire indicates that Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Michoacan, Morelos and Distrito Federal are also home to what he considered to be nominate iris. Those locations are not necessarily vaild for iris, and could apply to occidentalis and/or tamaulipasiana.

Kelly Price sends an image from Hidlago, Mexico, of what I considered to be Automeris iris iris, before publication of DNA results and interpretations by Brechlin and Meister. I think it is more likely A. tamaulipasiana.

There seems some consistent differences in appearance between most of the four species, but it is not clear if any are sympatric or where exactly the range of one species ends and another begins.

The following plate and notes will hopefully prove useful.

Automeris hesselorum: extreme southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico, probably as far south as Nyarit; fw ground colour almost uniform mousey-grey-brown with little contrast. Hw postmedian band/arc thinner than iris, submarginal band/arc also relatively thin, uneven along outer edge. Size of hw ocellus and proximity to post median band quite variable. Automeris occidentalis: Guerrero, Mexico; male fw length: 35-36mm; Fw outer margin seems least oblique in this species, reported as light grey in Entomo Satsphingia, but I think this lighter, yellowish specimen is occidentalis. Hw postmedian band quite thin; submarginal band also relatively thin with uneven outer edge. Automeris tamaulipasiana: Tamaulipas, Mexico, probably most of eastern Mexico south to Mexico City; male fw length: 34-35mm; male fw apex not pointed; fw ground colour more even reddish-brown with less contrast between basal/median/postmedian areas. Hw ocellus smaller than in iris; much more red hairs along inner margin and reddish scaling along hw costa than in other species; post median/submarginal arcs thicker than in two species above Automeris iris: Oaxaca, Mexico; male fw length: 35-37mm; male fw apex is slightly produced and pointed; very strong contrast between dark brown fw basal area and much lighter off-white median/post median areas with much speckling of small grey-brown scales. Hw ocellus large; post median/submarginal black arcs relatively thick, even.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in ??. There are probably additional flight months.

Host plants are as yet 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.

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

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.

I am not aware of the source for Automeris. The species name, "tamualipasiana" is indicative of a specimen type in Tamaulipas, Mexico.