DISTRIBUTION:

The Copiopteryx semiramis gadouorum moth (forewing wingspan: males: 81-90mm; females: 92-96mm) flies in Venezuela: Bolivar: El Pao, at elevations around 450m.

This small subspecies has short narrow tails relative to other species. It differs from the nominate subspecies which also flies in Bolivar, Venezuela, mainly by its smaller size.

Copiopteryx semiramis gadouorum male, Gran Sabana, Bolivar, Venezuela,
January 1, 2009, by Artour A., tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Copiopteryx semiramis gadouorum flies late at night and larvae feed on Manilkara chicle (Sapodilla). Acanthosyris spinescens and Pouteria caimito have also been reported as hosts for semiramis subspecies. Specimens have been taken in May-June-July, and there may be a fall flight, as well as a January flight if my id is correct at top of page.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

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 chambers.

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. Here the "orum" ending is used for the same purpose.

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

The species name "semiramis" is probably from Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod and queen of Babylon. The subspecies name "gadouorum" is to honour M. and Mme A. Gadou, probably early collectors.