Loxolomia johnsoni
locks-uh-LOH-mee-uhm
JOHN-son-eye
Schaus, 1932
Loxolomia johnsoni, Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1000m, January 4, 2010, courtesy of Jason Weigner.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"The Girl from Ipanema"
midi by Mel WebbON.OFF |
DISTRIBUTION:
The Loxolomia johnsoni moth
(wingspan: males: 155-178mm; females: 173mm plus) flies in
tropical rain forest at elevations of
350 - 700 m in the Amazonian basin in South America:
Peru: Amazonas (LTR); Loreto (HM); Huanuco; and Pasco; and
probably San Martin;
eastern Ecuador: Morona-Santiago and
possibly Pastaza;
Brazil: Mato Grosso (possibly L. winbrechlini);
Bolivia: Santa Cruz; La Paz; Beni
and possibly
Venezuela.
Loxolomia johnsoni, Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1000m, January 4, 2010, courtesy of Jason Weigner.
Loxolomia johnsoni male, Taipiplaya, Yungas, La Paz, Bolivia,
February 2006, photo by Peter Møllmann, via Lars Andersen.
Loxolomia johnsoni courtesy of Thibaud Decaens, Beni, Bolivia.
Loxolomia johnsoni male, Peru,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
There are probably at least two generations of Loxolomia johnsoni on the wing each year from January to February and in June. Hubert Mayer reports a November 24, 2009, flight in Iquitos, Loreto, Peru. Moths prefer a light rain and are on the wing from 12:30-3:30 am.
Eurides Furtado confirms one natural host in central Brazil is Cariniana legalis, a tree which is being threatened due to habitat loss to farming or degradation.
Loxolomia johnsoni female, Nauta Road 74km, Iquitos, Loreto, Peru,
November 24, 2009, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Arsenurini males use their antennae to seek out females which scent at night.
EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:
Larvae descend tree trunks at maturity to pupate in subterranean chambers.
Jan Hellert sent me these very nice images of fourth and fifth instar larvae. Note the disappearance of the anal horn and the thoracic "appendages" in the final instar.
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.
Cariniana legalis |
Jequitibá-red |
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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 "Loxolomia", but it is probably from the Greek 'Loxo' for
'slanting' or from Loxo, who in Greek mythology, is one of the
fair-haired daughters of Boreas. There is a likely combination with
'Lamia' who in Greek Mythology, is a monster represented as a serpent
with the head and breasts of a woman that ate children and sucked the
blood from men.
The species name 'johnsoni' is honourific for Johnson.