DISTRIBUTION:

the Automeris vomona moth (wingspan: males: 58-75mm; females: 67-79mm) flies in
Venezuela: Distrito Federal, Merida, Tachira, ;
Colombia: Antioquia, Santander, Cundinamarca and Boyaca; and
possibly into Ecuador: (nr vomona Zamora Chinchipe (LR)) as a montane species, flying at elevations between 2000-3000m.

Automeris vomona vomona male, courtesy of Viktor Suter, via Bernhard Wenczel.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in January-February-March-April, June-July-August-September-October, December.

Natural hosts are unknown; in the lab it has been fed on Robinia pseudoacacia.

Automeris vomona, female, courtesy of Viktor Suter, via Bernhard Wenczel.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use their more highly developed antennae to seek out females who release an airbourne pheromone into the night sky.

View series of spread specimens from Cundinamarca, Colombia, that are either Automeris vomona or Automeris zugana, courtesy of Rodrigo Torres Nunez.

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.

The green, brown, and white longitudinal body stripes are often masked by extensive, branching green or yellow spines in the final instar.

Wider antennae of the male are evident in this "cut away" view of the pupa. All images on this page are courtesy of Bernhard Jost.

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.

Robinia pseudoacacia.......

False acacia

Automeris vomona, larva, courtesy of Viktor Suter, via Bernhard Wenczel.

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