DISTRIBUTION:

Copaxa mazaorum (wingspan: approximately 100-125mm) flies in
Mexico: Oaxaca and Chiapas;
Guatemala: Izabal (JM);
Honduras;
Nicaragua; and probably
El Salvador.

Kirby Wolfe reports that Copaxa mazaorum is consistently larger than the very similar Copaxa multifenestrata, sometimes having a wingspan almost twice that of most populations of Copaxa multifenestrata.

Kirby adds, "C. mazaorum is usually 12 cm +, especially in Honduras. The forewing of mazaorum is usually more square than in multifenestrata."

Copaxa mazaorum, male, southern Oaxaca - Northern Chiapas, Mexico,
wingspan: 123 mm, courtesy of Kelly Price.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larvae feed upon avocado (Persea americana) and cherry (Prunus).

Copaxa mazaorum female, copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to locate females shortly after dark by tracking the airbourne pheromone plume.

Copaxa mazaorum (male), Guatemala, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Kirby Wolfe writes, "I have seen partially or all yellow specimens and partially or all red specimens like this one. It undoubtedly occurs also in El Salvador."

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Photo courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Copaxa mazaorum larva, copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.

Listed below are the 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.

Persea americana ..... Prunus

Avocado Cherry

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