Pseudautomeris erubescens
Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, February, 2008
Updated as per personal communication with Carlos Mielke (Parana), April 2008

Pseudautomeris erubescens
(Boisduval, 1875) Io

Pseudautomeris erubescens pair, Male: 80 mm, December; female: 95 mm, July,
Reserva Vale da Solidão 14o22’S 56o07’W, 450 m, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

The female depicted above has a forewing pm line that is considerably more pre-apical and concave than the female depicted in Lemaire's Hemileucinae, 2002. I think it might be something else.

The female depicted further down on this page, from the Cornell University University Collection, seems a better match for P. erubescens. It had been labelled as P. brasiliensis, but I think the forewing is not elongate enough, nor is the outer margin oblique enough for the moth to be P. brasiiensis.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Hemileucinae, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Tribe: Hemileucini, Grote & Robinson, 1866
Genus: Pseudautomeris, Lemaire, 1967

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DISTRIBUTION:

Pseudautomeris erubescens (wingspan: males: 71-93mm; females: 93-96mm) flies in
the Atlantic forests of Brazil: Alagoas; Pernambuco; Bahia; Espirito Santo; Rio de Janeiro; Parana (CM); Santa Catarina, and inland to Goias and Mato Grosso. (I suspect it also flies in Sao Paulo (WO?)).

The abdomen of this species is bright red, easily distinguishing it from P. brasiliensis.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth likely broods continuously with specimens recorded from December-January and March-April.

Pseudautomeris erubescens female, 93mm, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
Cornelll University Collection, via Ryan Saint Laurent.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen to call in the night-flying males. Most male activity occurs in the two hours before midnight.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Pseudautomeris erubescens larvae are similar to Automeris larvae, being gregarious and having urticating spines.

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.

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