Catacantha stramentalis male (faded), Rio Venado, Junin, Peru,
January 3, 2009, 1050m, courtesy of Vladimir Izersky.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866 Genus: Catacantha Bouvier, 1930 Species: stramentalis (Draudt, 1929)

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Catacantha stramentalis moth (wingspan: males: 45-50mm; females: 50-53mm; forewing length: males: 25-28mm; females: 28-30mm) flies in damp equatorial woods in
Peru: Amazonas, Loreto, Junin, Huanuco, Cusco, Madre de Dios;
Bolivia: La Paz, Cochabamba;
?? Venezuela: Tachira ??; (possibly C. nataliae in Venezuela)
Colombia: probably eastern slopes (possibly C. ecorientalis in Colombia and Ecuador)and
Ecuador: Orellana, Napo, Pastaza, Morona-Santiago, Zamora-Chinchipe and Loja at elevations between 200-1300 meters above sea level on the eastern side of the Andes.

Visit Catachantha Genus Comparison Plate

In Catacanatha stramentalis specimens the forewing pm line runs from the apex to very near the middle of the inner margin. The hindwing is dark. Quite a few new species have been designated that were formerly included as stramentalis.

Catacantha stramentalis reddish male (possibly siriae), Peru,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

FLIGHT TIMES: There are probably at least three broods annually. Venezuela: August; possibly nataliae Ecuador: November-March; possibly ecorientalis Peru: April-August, November-December-January Bolivia: February-March Larval hosts are unknown. Catacantha stramentalis (more likely nataliae) male, courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel.

ECLOSION, SCENTING
AND MATING:

The slightly larger female (lower image) begins "calling" after 10:00 pm.

Smaller males fly into the wind to detect the scent and track the stationary female.

Male stramentalis are usually on the wing from 10:00 pm until 12:30 am and readily come in to lights.

Catacantha stramentalis pair, Bolivia, courtesy of T. Decaens & G. Lecourt

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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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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 do not know the origin of the genus name Catacantha, but it may be for the downward (cata) turn of the rami and the bristles (cantha = thorn) on the rami.

I suspect the species name "stramentalis" refers to the straw coloured forewings of some specimens. Stramen is a Latin and French word for straw.