Titaea orsinome
Updated as per Lemaire's Arsenurinae 1980, November 3, 2005

Titaea orsinome
TYE-tay-uhmmor-SIN-uh-mee
Hubner, [1923]

Titaea orsinome grey female, Reserva Vale da Solidão,
14o22’S 56o07’W, Mato Grosso, Brazil, courtesy of Eurides Furtado copyright.

Titaea orsinome female, courtesy of Leroy Simon.

This page 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: Arsenurinae, Jordan, 1922
Tribe: Arsenurini, Jordan, 1922
Genus: Titaea, Hubner, [1823]
Species: orsinome, Hubner, [1823]

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Titaea orsinome moth (wingspan: males: 94-125mm; females: 103-127mm) flies in low to medium elevation savannas in
Brazil: District Federal, Goias, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais; and
possibly eastern Bolivia and
northeastern Paraguay (UD) Concepcion and Amambay.

Titaea orsinome male, Amambay, Paraguay, courtesy of Ulf Drechsel.

This species has a forewing discal spot that is almost non-existent. The two broad black bands on the lower wings also distinguish this species.

Titaea orsinome male, reddish brown form, 125 mm, March,
Reserva Vale da Solidão, 14o22’S 56o07’W, 450 m, Diamantino, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

There are likely three or more broods each year with Titaea orsinome moths on the wing in January-February-March-April and then again in June-July and again in September.

Titaea orsinome larvae will likely accept Bombacopsis quinatum. Eurides Furtado reports one native host to be Eriotheca gracilipes, and he also reports larvae accepting Chorisia speciosa in the lab with 77 days from oviposition to imago (adult moth).

Titaea orsinome, male, greenish grey form, 115 mm, September,
Reserva Vale da Solidão, 14o22’S 56o07’W, 450 m, Diamantino, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Titaea orsinome female, reddish brown form, 127 mm, April,
Reserva Vale da Solidão, 14o22’S 56o07’W, 450 m, Diamantino, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Moths fly at night and females emit an airbourne pheromone to "call" the males. Eclosion from pupae seems to be under cover of darkness.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Larvae show dramatic structural and colour changes as they develop. Pronounced thoracic and anal scoli of early instars are eliminated from final instar.

Titaea orsinome fourth instar courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Titaea orsinome fifth instar courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Titaea orsinome sixth instar courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Mature larvae pupate underground.

Titaea orsinome pupa courtesy of Eurides Furtado.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae and from personal correspondence (Eurides Furtado). 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.

Bombacopsis quinatum.......
Chorisia speciosa
Eriotheca gracilipes

Pochote/Spiny Cedar
Silk floss tree/Kapok
Eriotheca gracilipes

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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.

The genus name "Titaea" comes from the Greek Titaea, who is the mother of the Titans.

Orsinome is the wife of Lapithus 1, and she bears him two sons, Phorbas 2 and Periphas.