DISTRIBUTION:

Rothschildia maurus (wingspan: males: 110mm; females: 105mm) flies at low elevation along the eastern slopes of the Andes in
Argentina: Jujuy, Salta, Tucuman, Catamarca, Cordoba (NV/CM), Misiones, and probably Chaco (NV) and southern Formosa; and in
Paraguay: San Pedro and Presidente Hayes.

Rothschildia maurus female, 18km north of Gral. J. de San Martin, Chaco, Argentina,
112mm, near border with El Colorado, Formosa, Argentina, December 10, 2010, 150m.

Rothschildia maurus female (verso), December 10, 2010,
northeastern Chaco, Argentina, courtesy of Nigel Venters.

I believe the female taken by Nigel Venters in northeastern Chaco is correctly identified as R. maurus, representing a significant eastern extension of its known range in Argentina. Nigel is having success feeding larvae on willow

This is the same moth as Rothschildia maurusius Schreiter.

Rothschildia maurus Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel.

The female below from La Cumbre, Cordoba, Argentina, is probably an aberration of Rothschildia maurus. Nigel has obtained eggs, and we are hopeful he will be able to rear them through. Subsequently Nigel reports they would not accept privet and he lost all the larvae.

Rothschildia maurus female, La Cumbre, Cordoba, Argentina, probably aberration,
105mm, February 7, 2010, 1130m, courtesy of Nigel Venters, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Rothschildia maurus female (verso), La Cumbre, Cordoba, Argentina, probably aberration,
105mm, February 7, 2010, 1130m, courtesy of Nigel Venters, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Maurus has a deep brown ground colour, small yet elongated hyaline spots, triangular on the forewing, ovate on the hindwing, but tapering toward the outer margin, and crenulate postmedial lines. Sometimes there are white scales in the outer margin of the hindwings, not present in the image above.

Rothschildia maurus male, Amancay, Cordoba, Argentina,
February 2010, courtesy of Carlos Marzano.

I have added Paraguay to the distribution based on the following image from Paraguay.

Rothschildia maurus, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Nigel venters reports November and February flights in Jujuy, Argentina. If my id of the Cordoba specimen is correct, there is also a February flight in Cordoba, Argentina.

This species feeds on Anacardiaceae, Bignoniaceae, Euphorbaceae: Croton. Nigel Venters indicates eggs he obtained December 10, 2010, from a wild caught female incubated very quickly, and newly hatched larvae had moved into third instar by December 21, 2010. Temperatures were in low 30's C.

Visit Rothschildia maurus male, Calilegua, Jujuy, Argentina, February 17, 2010, courtesy of Nigel Venters.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Like most of the Rothschildia, except for the diurnal zacateca, this species calls and pairs at night.

Rothschildia maurus, Argentina, courtesy of Pablo Wagner.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

It is interesting to watch Rothschildia fashion their cocoons. A strong peduncle with a few support silk strands secures the structure while the larva continues "padding its nest" with a continuous back-and-forth movement of the head.

There are both inner and outer cocoons, each with a relatively long valve to facilitate eclosions.

If the id for the female from Chaco is correct, then here are images of the larvae:

Rothschildia maurus early instar, December 20, 2010,
northeastern Chaco, Argentina, courtesy of Nigel Venters.

Rothschildia maurus Salta's Province, Argentina, courtesy of Pablo Wagner.

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.

Anacardiaceae....... Bignoniaceae Euphorbaceae Croton Salix (NV)

Anacardiaceae Bignoniaceae Euphorebaceae Croton Willow

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Return to Rothschildia Index

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

"Rothschildia" is chosen to honour one of the Rothschilds, possibly William.

The species name, maurus, may be from the Latin word 'maurus' for Moor, indicating the very dark colour of this species.

Rothschildia maurus, Paraguay, courtesy/copyright Ulf Drechsel