DISTRIBUTION:

Leucanella contempta windi (wingspan: males: 78-92mm; females: 85-104mm) flies at moderate elevations (up to 2200m) in
Mexico: Chiapas;
Guatemala: Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Sacatapequez, Guatemala, Zacapa;
Honduras: Cortés, Ocotepeque and Olancho (RC), Ocotepeque and Francisco Morazan (CL), probably Yoro;
and El Salvador: Mira Mundo, Santa Ana (RC).

The hindwing eyespot is usually smaller, compared to other species, with a broader, brighter yellow outer ring.

The forewing is slightly produced at the apex and the pm line is quite straight (curved outward only slightly near the apex) and preapical. The am and pm lines are yellow, the wing veins are yellow, and the outline of the cell marking is yellow. The pm line is outwardly outlined in dark brown and the terminal area is marked lighter than the almost uniform grey-brown of the basal, median and post median areas.

The thorax and upper 1/3 of abdomen are almost concolorous with light grey-brown forewings, while the lower 2/3 of the abdomen is a much darker grey, similar to the basal and median fields of the hindwings.

Females can have darker brown to reddish brown forewings.

Leucanella contempta windi male (Mexico),
courtesy of Dr. Manuel A. Balcazar Lara.

Leucanella contempta windi male (Honduras), wingspan 81mm,
courtesy of Ronald D. Cave.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Adults are on the wing from April to August, suggesting two broods. Leucanella contempta windi larvae probably will eat Ligustrum (questionable). More likely they will accept Salix and Prunus (BW).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use well-developed antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

Leucanella contempta windi female, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

Leucanella contempta windi female, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Relatively large, white, oval eggs are laid in clusters, and larvae, which have urticating spines, feed gregariously.

The cocoon is probably sturdy, brown, leaf-wrapped and affixed to a stem or twig.

Leucanella contempta windi sixth instar, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter.

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.

Ligustrum ...... Prunus Salix

Privet Cherry/Plum Willow

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 "Leucanella" chosen by Lemaire in 1969. PERHAPS (pure speculation by Bill Oehlke) it was chosen for the "little light" spots surrounding the pupil in the type species leucane.

The reason for the species name "contempta" is unknown to me, although the species has been confused with nyctimene and leucane perhaps to Lemaire's disdain (pure speculation).

The subspecies name "windi" is honourific for a collector, R. Wind.

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