Rothschildia orizaba peruviana
roths-CHILD-ee-uhMpeh-ROO-vee-an-uhMpeh-ROO-vee-an-uh
(Rothschild, 1907) Rothschildia peruviana peruviana
Rothschildia peruviana peruviana male, Nor Yungas,
Bolivia,
T. Decaëns & G. Lecourt, new id by Bill Oehlke.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"Girl from Ipanema"
midi by Mel WebbON.OFF |
DISTRIBUTION:
Rothschildia peruviana peruviana (wingspan: males: ; females: // forewing length: males: 64-70mm; females: ) flies
in medium altitude andean forests (1000 - 1700 m) in
eastern Peru: Huanuco?; Puno; and
Bolivia: La Paz; Cochabamba;
on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Peru is the specimen type locality.
The narrow hyaline spots touch the evenly dentate postmedial lines.
I believe this moth was originally described by Rothschild as a subspecies of orizaba. It has been elevated to full species status as the nominate subspecies Rothschildia peruviana peruviana by Brechlin & Meister, 2012, with several additional new subspecies described by the same authors.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
This species will probably accept Ligustrum (privet), lilac, ailanthus and oak and maybe cherry.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Like most of the Rothschildia, except for the diurnal zacateca, this species calls and pairs at night.
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.
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.
Ailanthus altissima..... |
Ailanthus |
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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.
There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.
The species name, peruviana, is indicative of the source of the lectotype from southeastern Peru.
The subspecies name, peruviana, indicates the source of the lectotype from southeastern Peru.