DISTRIBUTION:

Copiopteryx jehovah (forewing wingspan: males: 84-109mm; females: 92mm) flies in
Brazil: Para and Mato Grosso;
Bolivia;
eastern Ecuador: Napo (uncommon (LR)), Marona-Santiago CL;
Venezuela: Bolivar;
eastern Colombia: Caqueta and Putamayo;
Peru: Amazonas (LTR), Loreto (HM), Huanuco, Puno, Ucayali (VI), probably San Martin, Junin, Pasco and Cusco; and
French Guiana: Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Saint-Jean-du-Maroni; in habitats at elevations of 100m to 900m.

I suspect Copiopteryx jehovah can also be found in Guyana and Suriname: Brokopondo, Sipaliwini. The image to the right was discovered on a website after making the prediction about presence in Suriname. Knowledge of habitat and topography of the land, along with the excellent and extensive work of Dr. Claude Lemaire, give such predictions a good chance of accuracy. Many species not yet recorded in Suriname, Guyana and other remote and inaccessible areas of the world will doubtless be reported as these areas become more accessible. Copiopteryx jehovah, Brownsberg, Brokopondo District, Suriname, August 2004, courtesy of Personal Museum of Natural History.

Copiopteryx jehovah male, Brownsberg National Park, Brokopondo, Suriname,
July 10, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch, digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

The angle at which the median band intersects the R5 below the costa is decidely acute in jehovah, while in sonthonnaxi, a smaller species with shorter tails, but also with undulating forewing outer margins, the angle of intersection is not nearly as sharp. The triangular hyaline spot near the middle of the median line also tends to be wider in jehovah.

Copiopteryx jehovah female, French Guiana, courtesy of John Marchant.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Copiopteryx jehovah flies late at night in July (JvB) - August and probably in other months. Vladimir Izersky reports an October-November flight in Atalaya, Ucayali, Peru. Vladimir reports this species flies in the "intensity of the forest" while C. semiramis prefers "free" (open) spaces. Both fly in Ucayali, Peru, at 350m. Hubert Mayer reports an April 10, 2009, flight in Loreto, Peru.

Kirby Wolfe reports, "All of the Copiopteryx feed on Sapotaceae, the sapote family, and I reared mine on Chico sapote (Manilkara chicle)."

Copiopteryx jehovah male, Atalaya, Ucayali, Peru,
October 31, 2008, 350m, courtesy of Vladimir Izersky.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females have much shorter hind wing tails than males do, and emit a pheromone at night to "call" in the males.

Copiopteryx jehovah female copyright Kirby Wolfe

Copiopteryx jehovah female, Pantiacolla Lodge, Manu, Cusco, Peru,
September, 550m, courtesy of Peter Bruce-Jones, id by Bill Oehlke.

Copiopteryx jehovah female, Picurayacu, Iquitos, Loreto, Peru,
April 10, 2009, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Early instar larvae are spiny and hatch from eggs after approximately fourteen days of development. Tiny larvae feed on leaf tips from underside veins. Pupation is in early (pre-dawn) morning in subterranean jehovah 5th instar larva copyright Kirby Wolfe. disappear in the sixth/final instar.

6th instar larva Kirby Wolfe

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.

Manilkara chicle .......

Chico Sapote

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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.

The genus name "Copiopteryx" comes from the Greek word "pterygion" for wing.

The species name "jehovah" is for Jehovah or God.