DISTRIBUTON:

Gamelia abasia (wingspan: males: 44-58mm; females: 50-66mm) flies in tropical rain forest in
Suriname: (probably Sipaliwini, Brokopondo ??);
Guyana: Mazaruni-Potaro (probably Upper Demerara-Berbice, East Berbice-Corentyne ??);
French Guiana: Cayenne, Regina, Belizon;
Ecuador: Esmeraldas, Pichincha, Bolivar, Los Rios, Canar, Sucumbios, Orellana, Napo, Morona-Santiago and Pastaza;
Venezuela: Delta Amacuro, Bolivar;
Brazil: Para, Amazonas, Alagoas;
Bolivia: Cochabamba, Santa Cruz;
Colombia: Choco, Valle, Cundinamarca;
Peru: Huanuco, Junin, Cusco, Madre de Dios, Puno; and possibly Loreto: Iquitos (AY)
at elevations from 350 - 1400 m.

Gamelia abasia male copyright Kirby Wolfe

Gamelia abasia male, Iquitos, Loreto, Peru,
August 4, 2008, courtesy of Alexey Yakolev, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Luigi Racheli reports them on the wing in May and July in Ecuador. if my identification of the specimen from Iquitos, Peru, is correct, there is an August flight in that area.

Gamelia abasia larvae feed on Common guava (Psidium guajava).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of their abdomens to "call" the males. Males use their antennae to hone in on the airbourne pheromone.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Gamelia abasia fourth instar, Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador, 1400m, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Larvae resemble Automeris species with their numberous urticating body spines. Larvae are gregarious. Image courtesy of Leroy Simon.

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.

Psidium guajava....

Common guava

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