DISTRIBUTION:

Austrolippa cruenta (wingspan: males: 48-58mm; females: 58-70mm) flies in
southeastern Brazil: Minas Gerais: Uberaba (800m); Sao Paulo: Ypiranga (600m); Parana: Curitiba (900m), Santa Catarina: Sao Bento do Sul (750m), Rio Grande do Sul; and in
northeastern Argentina: Misiones;
and Paraguay (WO?: Guaira, Caaguazu, Alto Parana, Caazapa and Itapua).

It has been taken at elevations from 300m to 900m.

Austrolippa cruenta male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 5, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

The hindwing "eyespot" of this species and the similar Austrolippa convergens resulted in some authors placing them with Automeris. With convergens the antedial and postmedial lines seem to "converge" along the inner margin while there is substantial space between them in cruenta.

Austrolippa cruenta male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 5, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine.

Austrolippa cruenta male, Brazil, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

I have added Paraguay and the departments listed above, based on the correlation with Lemaire's images and his description with the two following images posted on the internet as Austrolippa convergens. Lemaire, 2002, indicates the specimen depicted as M. convergens in Conte, 1906, is actually M. cruenta.

Austrolippa convergens/cruenta ++, Guaira, Paraguay, Pybio.

Austrolippa convergens/cruenta** courtesy of Robert Westphal.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

January-February, April, August-September-October, December flights suggest at least a trivoltine species.

Kirby Wolfe reports rearing success with Acacia baileyana and Robinia.

Austrolippa cruenta female, Nova Teutonia, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
300-500m, September 5, 1963, Claude Lemaire, on my home computer only.

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.

Austrolippa cruenta seventh instar, Brasil courtesy of Viktor Suter via Bernhard Wenczel.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters and larvae feed gregariously. Typical of Hemileucini species, larvae have urticating spines.

Austrolippa cruenta larva copyright Kirby Wolfe.

Reinhard Foerster is feeding the following larva on a shrub, locally know as graniuba. I believe the caterpillar is that of Austrolippa cruenta.

Austrolippa cruenta fifth instar, feeding on local shrub (graniuba),
Misiones Province, Argentina, courtesy of Reinhard Foerster.

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.

Acacia baileyana...... Robinia

Cootamundra Wattle Locust

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