DISTRIBUTION:

The Eacles penelope moth (wingspan: males: 109-147mm; females: 137-183mm) flies in
Ecuador: Esmeraldas, Sucumbios LTR, Napo, Orellana LTR, Pastaza LTR, Morona-Santiago LTR and Tungurahua LTR;
Peru: Amazonas (LTR), Junin, Huanuco, Madre de Dios, probably San Martin and Pasco;
Bolivia: Santa Cruz and Cochabamba;
Colombia: Valle;
Brazil: Para, Amazonas, Goias, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina;
Guyana;
French Guiana: Kaw;
Venezuela: Bolivar, Amazonas and Lara;
Surinam;
Panama: Canal Zone;
Costa Rica: San Jose (CL), Alajuela, Limon, San Jose (IB); and
southern Nicaragua: Zelaya.

Eacles penelope female, Durango, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
January 21, 2007, courtesy of Horst Kach.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing from May - August, and October (HK) with another flight in January.

Vladimir Izersky reports a November flight in Junin, Peru.
Visit Eacles penelope Rio Venado, Junin, Peru, November 19, 2007, 1050m, courtesy of Vladimir Izersky.

Visit Eacles penelope male, March 3-4, 2009, Misahualli, Napo, Ecuador, courtesy of Steve Ife.

Eacles penelope male, Misahualli, Napo, Ecuador,
October 30, 2003, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Eacles penelope male (verso), Misahualli, Napo, Ecuador,
October 30, 2003, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Eggs are most frequently deposited on Holly/Holm oak (Quercus ilex) and Guava (Psidium pomiferum). Steve Kohll reports success rearing this species on Eucalyptus gunnii, Cider Gum.

Eacles penelope female, Pozuzo (Oxapampa-Pasco-Perú),
courtesy of Viktor Suter and Bernhard Wenczel.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females mate around 10:00 P.M., and the pair remains coupled until the following evening. Upon separation, the females begin their ovipositing flights.

Eacles penelope, female, French Guiana, courtesy of Carlot Didier.

Eacles penelope female, Durango, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
January 21, 2007, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Eacles penelope female (verso), Durango, Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
January 21, 2007, courtesy of Horst Kach.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Yellow, translucent eggs are deposited singly or in small clusters of up to six. The larvae become visible through the egg shells a day or so before emerging. Image courtesy of Bruno Penin.

Larvae are solitary in their feeding habits and may exhibit a basic brown or green colouration after the third instar.

Lengths of up to 11 cm are attained at larval maturity at which time larvae descend trees to pupate in underground chambers. To the right a third instar larva exhibits common green colouration.

Larvae continue to exhibit unusally large anal claspers into final instar. Pupae should be stored under cool , but above freezing temperatures, and sprinkling with water a few times a week in June encourages July eclosions. Visit Eacles penelope all instars and pupa, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Eacles penelope, male, French Guiana, courtesy of Carlot Didier.

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.

Eucalyptus gunnii Liquidambar styraciflua...... Psidium palmifera Quercus ilex

Cider Gum Sweetgum Guava Holly/Holm oak

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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.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Eacles", but it may be a combination of "Ea", the Greek word for gods and goddesses and the Greek suffix "cles", meaning 'glory of'.

The species name "penelope" is for the mythic heroine Penelope who married Ulysses. During his absence she was pursued by many suitors. She promised to marry one once she had finished making a robe. She worked on the robe during the day, undoing the work at night.

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