Dysdaemonia fosteri
diz-day-MOH-nee-uhmmFAWS-ter-eye
W. Rothschild, 1906
Dysdaemonia fosteri, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"The.Girl.from.Ipanema"
midi by Mel WebbON.OFF |
Dysdaemonia fosteri male, Salta, Argentina, courtesy of Entomo-SatSphingia II.
DISTRIBUTION:
The Dysdaemonia fosteri moth
flies in the dry South Andean mountains of
Bolivia: Santa Cruz;
in
Argentina:
Jujuy: Calilegua;
Salta,
Tucuman,
La Rioja,
Chaco (CM),
Misiones (EB), and probably
Catamarca, and
Paraguay: (UD)
Alta Paraguay,
Boqueron,
President Hayes,
Concepcion,
San Pedro,
Canindeyu,
Cordillera,
Caaguaza,
Alto Parana,
Guaira,
Paraguari,
Caazapa,
Amambay: La Nina (SR)
at elevations of 400 - 1200 m. Kirby Wolfe reports them
from
southern Brazil: Sao Paulo (AVB).
Dysdaemonia fosteri female, Avanhandava, Sao Paulo, Brazil,
January 1, 2014, courtesy of Alexander von Buldring.
The larger hindwing discal spot, ringed with dark brown or black, distinguishes this species.
Dysdaemonia fosteri male, Chaco, Argentina, courtesy of Carlos G. C. Mielke. copyright
Dysdaemonia fosteri female, Paraguay, courtesy of Carlos G. C. Mielke. copyright
There are many "subspecies", forms and colour variations, inclucing Dysdaemonia fosteri cortesi form viridis pictured below.
Dysdaemonia fosteri male, Osununu Private Reserve, Misiones, Argentina,
October 13, 2009, courtesy of Ezequiel Bustos.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
Sergio Rios reports a February flight in La Nina, Amambay, Paraguay.
Nigel Venters reports a February flight in Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina.
Ezequiel Bustos reports an October flight in Osununu, Private Reserve, Misiones, Argentina.
Larvae feed on Chorisia speciosa and Samanea.
Dysdaemonia fosteri female, Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina,
February 17, 2010, 1100m, courtesy of Nigel Venters.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Males use their antennae to seek out females which scent at night. Both sexes come in to lights from 11:30 pm until 2:00 am.
Dysdaemonia fosteri male, Paraguay, courtesy of Carlos G. C. Mielke. copyright
EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:
Eggs are tan coloured, flattened spheres, with a thin, dark brown, line on the lateral surface.
Pupae are formed in a porous, dark brown cocoon.
In the earlier instars, larvae are equipped with enlarged thoracic horns and an anal horn, projections which are absent in the final instar.
Dysdaemonia fosteri eggs, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri first instar, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri second instar, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri third instar, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri fourth instar, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri fifth instar (dorsal), Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Dysdaemonia fosteri fifth instar (ventral), Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.
Larval Food Plants
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.
Chorisia speciosa..... |
Floss-silk tree |
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.
I do not know the source of the genus
name "Dysdaemonia" chosen by Hubner in 1819. It could be a
combination meaning 'bad spirit'.
The species name "fosteri" is honourific for Foster.
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