DISTRIBUTION:

Meroleucoides saragurensis (wingspan: males: ??mm; females: 55mm // forewing length: males: smaller; females: 29mm) flies in
Ecuador: Loja: Monte del Cerro Fierrurco, at elevations around 3140m.

Visit Ecuadorian Meroleucoides Comparison Table.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in February-March. There are probably additional flight months. Larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen, and the night-flying males pick up and track the airbourne pheromone plume with their well-developed antennae.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in clusters on hostplant foliage.

Meroleucoides saragurensis larvae are probably highly gregarious and probably have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae.

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.

This species name, saragurensis, is indicative of a specimen type locality near Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador

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