Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2016-12-01
Page range: 1-7
Abstract views: 250
PDF downloaded: 217

Biology of Automeris jucunda (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae, Hemileucinae) with taxonomic notes on A. hamata subgroup

Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Via Piero Carnabuci 29, I-00139 Rome, Italy
Saturniid moth preimaginal instars immature stages life history food plants erucism South America.

Abstract

A female of Automeris jucunda (Cramer, 1779) was collected during a field expedition to Otanche, Colombia. The rearing of this species was conducted in captivity, in situ and in the laboratory, on different food plants as the larvae revealed to be polyphagous. In Colombia, the larval phase lasted six weeks on Schizolobium parahyba S. F. Blake, 1919 (Fabaceae), a natural host plant of A. jucunda. Instead, in the laboratory the larval phase lasted more than eight weeks on Rubus fruticosus Linnaeus, 1753 (Rosaceae), a replacement food plant for this species. The gregarious larvae developed between five to six instars and can also cause erucism. The immature stages of A. jucunda are described together with food plants. Furthermore, short taxonomic notes on the A. hamata subgroup, which includes A. jucunda, are provided.