DISTRIBUTION:

Paradirphia andicola (wingspan: males: 67-80mm; females: 81-99mm) flies in
Colombia: Cundinamarca, and in
northeastern and northwestern Ecuador: Sucumbios WO, Napo CL, Morona Santiago CL, Pastaza WO, Pichincha CL, and Imbabura CL, in medium elevation cloud forest (1600 - 2250 m).

Note the straw coloured antennae, thin carmine bands on the upperside of the black abdomen (absent in P. antonia), very dark ground colour of the wings and discal spots on ventral surface of all wings.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January-February-March-April, and September-October, December, suggesting at least two or three broods. Larvae probably feed on Malus, Prunus, and Robinia pseudoacacia.

Horst Kach reports from Ecuador: "For Paradirphia andicola, the other hostplant you see on the picture is a legume. I don't have the exact name, but the local name is Acazia motilòn. It`s not an Acazia but a kind of Cassia sp. with very big leaves, looking very similar to the californian sumac (Malosma laurina). This plant works very well for many dirphias."

Paradirphia andicola female, Lloa west, Pichincha Province, Ecuador,
December 9, 2010, 2600m, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola female, Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
February 7, 2006, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola female (verso), Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
February 7, 2006, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola male (verso), Cosanga, Napo Province, Ecuador,
October 29, 2005, courtesy of Horst Kach.

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.

Paradirphia andicola larvae are highly gregarious and have the urticating spines typical of larvae from the Subfamily Hemileucinae.

Paradirphia andicola, June 17, 2007, Cosanga, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola, Cosanga, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola, August 10, 2007, Cosanga, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola, August 10, 2007, Cosanga, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Paradirphia andicola, August 10, 2007, Cosanga, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

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.

Cassia ....... HK mmmm Malus Prunus Robinia pseudoacacia.....

Cassia sp Apple Cherry Black locust/False acacia

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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 "Paradirphia" chosen by Michener in 1849, but it probably has to do with the similarity of these moths to those in the genus Dirphia.

The species name "andicola" is probably indicative of the range in the Andes Mountains.