DISTRIBUTION:

Travassosula subfumata (forewing length: males: 22-27mm; females 27-32mm) flies at low elevations (300m to 1200m) in
southeastern Brazil: Goias, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Parana (CM), (possibly Minas Gerais (confirmed by LV), Sao Paulo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, (WO?)); and
eastern Bolivia??: Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz; at elevations of 300-1200m. It might?? also fly in Paraguay.

Similar specimens from Chuquisaca, Bolivia, are more likely the recently (2014) described T. chuquisaciana.

Travassosula subfumata male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 16, 2013, courtesy of Larry Valentine, id by Bill Oehlke.

Travassosula subfumata male, Nova Bremen, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
November 11, 1936, Cornell University Collection, courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January (LV)-February, May-June, August-October-November (RSL), suggesting at least three broods annually. Larval hosts are unknown.

Note the characteristic notches in the hindwing costa, visable when the moth is in normal resting position.

Travassosula subfumata male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 16, 2013, courtesy of Larry Valentine, id by Bill Oehlke.

Travassosula subfumata male (verso), Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 16, 2013, courtesy of Larry Valentine, id by Bill Oehlke.

Travassosula subfumata female, Nova Bremen, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
June 18, 1936, Cornell University Collection, courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent.

With regard to the following Travassosula subfumata male trio, Ryan Saint Laurent writes, "I've included this image to display the size variation. The last, smallest male seems different. It does not have a red abdomen and it has a more prominent notch on the hindwing relative to other subfumata males. Forewing coloration is also darker, more brown, in the larger males. Locale for small, bottom male (all three are from Brazil): Guarani, R.G.S., Brazil; date for bottom male: Jan. 20, 1934, C.M. Biezanko; WS for small male: 21mm, the other two above 22mm and 24mm, respectively.

Travassosula subfumata male, trio, Guarani (bottom male), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
21mm, 22mm, 24mm, January 20, 1934, Cornell University Collection,
courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent.

Below is a larger image of the smallest male from Guarani. I recommend that Ryan check this one as a possible new species, based on smallest size, colouration differences noted (wings and body), more southerly location and size of the hindwing costal notch.

Travassosula subfumata?? male, Guarani (bottom male), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
21mm, January 20, 1934, Cornell University Collection,
courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

The "unusual" colouration/patterning of the male abdomen is depicted below.

Travassosula subfumata male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
January 16, 2013, courtesy of Larry Valentine, id by Bill Oehlke.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably laid in rings of 25-35 eggs/ring.

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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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 "Travassosula" chosen by Michener in 1949, but it is probably honourific for Travassos.

The species name "subfumata" is from the Latin, 'fumata' meaning smoke, and it may refer to the smokey (sooty), grey-brown colouration of this species, especially between the wing veins in the subterminal area of all wings.

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