A Sprinkle of Earth
Caio romulus - Romulus Moth (Maassen, 1869)
Behemoth
Description: Old cellphone picture, posting for the entomological register.
Arsenurinae are exclusively neotropical moths, which was first named by Jordan in 1922. Travassos & Noronha (1968) described the new family Dysdaemoniidae, which includes the genera Caio, Dysdaemonia, Titaea and Paradaemonia given the median spurs of the hind legs, but the family is not used by most of the authors. Currently, they are allocated, officially, into the family Saturniidae until further notice.
The hind wings of Arsenurines usually possess extensions, especially on males. There is also a presence of a hair tuft on both sides of the first abdominal segment, at the spiracular line. The antennae, wing venation and genitalia vary in this group. The gnathos of the genital of a few species of Caio are present as short lateral arms connected by a plate. A few species of Caio are known to feed on Bombacaceae, but Arsenurines are also known to be polyphagous.
Arsenurinae's phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood. Going lower than the genus level, it is apparent that Caio romulus represents a sister-group of the northern members of the genus. Somewhere in the past, Caio was separated into the Mexican (or Guiano-Amazonian) and Southern Brazilian components, with the former speciating and dispersing.
Their coloration is usually restricted to brown, gray, cream and dull orange tones. The adults are usually very large. Arsenurinae and Ceratocampinae are the most plesiomorphic subfamilies of Saturniidae. The larvae of Caio are usually stout, glabrous, with a granulose integument. The wingspan of Caio romulus was of approximately 12cm, but this information requires confirmation.
Sources:
1 - www.researchgate.net/publication/259308539_Cladistic_Anal...
2 - images.peabody.yale.edu/lepsoc/jls/1990s/1993/1993-47(3)211-Peigler.pdf
Feeding type: Arsenurinae in general are polyphagous. The genus Caio, in general, seems to specialize in Bombacaceae.
PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/164161523
Caio romulus - Romulus Moth (Maassen, 1869)
Behemoth
Description: Old cellphone picture, posting for the entomological register.
Arsenurinae are exclusively neotropical moths, which was first named by Jordan in 1922. Travassos & Noronha (1968) described the new family Dysdaemoniidae, which includes the genera Caio, Dysdaemonia, Titaea and Paradaemonia given the median spurs of the hind legs, but the family is not used by most of the authors. Currently, they are allocated, officially, into the family Saturniidae until further notice.
The hind wings of Arsenurines usually possess extensions, especially on males. There is also a presence of a hair tuft on both sides of the first abdominal segment, at the spiracular line. The antennae, wing venation and genitalia vary in this group. The gnathos of the genital of a few species of Caio are present as short lateral arms connected by a plate. A few species of Caio are known to feed on Bombacaceae, but Arsenurines are also known to be polyphagous.
Arsenurinae's phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood. Going lower than the genus level, it is apparent that Caio romulus represents a sister-group of the northern members of the genus. Somewhere in the past, Caio was separated into the Mexican (or Guiano-Amazonian) and Southern Brazilian components, with the former speciating and dispersing.
Their coloration is usually restricted to brown, gray, cream and dull orange tones. The adults are usually very large. Arsenurinae and Ceratocampinae are the most plesiomorphic subfamilies of Saturniidae. The larvae of Caio are usually stout, glabrous, with a granulose integument. The wingspan of Caio romulus was of approximately 12cm, but this information requires confirmation.
Sources:
1 - www.researchgate.net/publication/259308539_Cladistic_Anal...
2 - images.peabody.yale.edu/lepsoc/jls/1990s/1993/1993-47(3)211-Peigler.pdf
Feeding type: Arsenurinae in general are polyphagous. The genus Caio, in general, seems to specialize in Bombacaceae.
PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/164161523