Saurita mosca Dognin

 

 Family: Erebidae

Subfamily: Arctiinae

Tribe: Arctiini

Subtribe: Euchromiina

Host plants:

  • Chusquea scandens (Poaceae)
  • Sarcorhachis sydowi (Piperaceae)
  • Piper baezanum (Piperaceae)
  • Piper augustum (Piperaceae)
  • Piper cf schuppii (Piperaceae)
  • Miriocarpa sp. (Urticaceae)
  • Boehmeria bullata (Urticaceae)
  • Casearia sp. (Flacourtiaceae)
  • Geonoma orbignyana (Arecaceae)
  • Diplazium costale (Dryopteridaceae)
  • Erato polymnioides (Asteraceae)
  • Heliconia sp. (Heliconiaceae)
  • Palicourea thyrsiflora (Rubiaceae)
  • Nectandra cissiflora (Lauraceae)
  • Alloplectus tetragonoides (Gesneriaceae)
  • Anthurium sp. (Araceae)
  • unknown species in the Magnoliaceae

Collection site: Various, Napo Province

Male (dorsal view)

 

Male (ventral view)

Photos & Determinations of adults: Suzanne Rab Green
Photos of immatures: CAPEA collections

 

LIFE HISTORY DATA


         
         

Caterpillar common name:


      
 
"Big-eye Four-tuft"

         
         

Caterpillar behavior & description:


      
 
 The larvae of this species are solitary feeders

 

Rearing results and development time:

         
 
 

         
         

Host plants:


      

 

  • Chusquea scandens (Poaceae)
  • Sarcorhachis sydowi (Piperaceae)
  • Piper baezanum (Piperaceae)
  • Piper augustum (Piperaceae)
  • Piper cf schuppii (Piperaceae)
  • Miriocarpa sp. (Urticaceae)
  • Boehmeria bullata (Urticaceae)
  • Casearia sp. (Flacourtiaceae)
  • Geonoma orbignyana (Arecaceae)
  • Diplazium costale (Dryopteridaceae)
  • Erato polymnioides (Asteraceae)
  • Heliconia sp. (Heliconiaceae)
  • Palicourea thyrsiflora (Rubiaceae)
  • Nectandra cissiflora (Lauraceae)
  • Alloplectus tetragonoides (Gesneriaceae)
  • Anthurium sp. (Araceae)
  • unknown species in the Magnoliaceae


         
         

Parasitoids:


      
 
Larvae are heavily parasitized by braconids, ichneumonids, and tachinids, all of which develop internally.
Most of the parsitoids pupate away from the host, except for some ichneumonids which pupate inside the host.
One tachinid species attacks the larva and emerges as a pre-pupa from the host pupa, all others are larval-larval parasitoids. Taxa that have been identified include Carcelia sp. (Tachinidae: Exoristinae), Meteorus (Braconidae: Meteorinae), and Campopleginae (Ichneumonidae).  

 

Predators:

         

Collection sites:

 
Caterpillars were collected inside primary forests, partially reforested pastures and next to roads along an altitudinal transect from 400m (Tena) to 3500m (Papallacta) in the vicinity of the Yanayacu Biological Station and Center for Creative Studies (YBS: S 00° 35.9' W 77° 53.4': 2100 m), 5km west of Cosanga, Napo province of eastern Ecuador.  

 

Voucher locations & numbers:

 
@ American Museum of Natural History : B876, B1171, 2422, 9890, 11271, 12414, 12580, 15211, 15283, 18355, 23316, 25265, 25362, 25363, 25645, 25654, 26008, 26124, 26125, 26127, 26135, 26163, 26376, 26386, 26753, 26809, 26913, 27646, 28978, 31447, 31718, 35014, 35034, 35072, 35077, 35131, 35529, 35719, 35756, 35829, 35913, 35958, 35979, 35979, 36063, 36075, 36076, 36096, 36289, 36509, 36648, 36666, 36687, 36704, 36830, 36843, 36845, 36860, 36879, 36884, 36894, 37285, 37362, 37608, 37773, 37895, 38044, 38101, 38497, 38629, 38764, 39146, 39602, 40072, 40143, 40230, 40281, 40400, 40403, 40405, 40485, 40550, 40571, 40590, 40615, 40758, 40759, 40760, 40762, 40763, 40764, 40967, 40969, 40970, 40971, 41019, 41222, 41476, 41536, 41864, 41875, 41876, 41942, 42070, 42138, 42139, 42158, 42549, 42915, 42965, 43023, 43056, 43198,
@ University of Nevada Reno (UNR): B465, B1104, B1165, B1170, 9634, 9885, 9906,
10788, 13256, 14804, 15212, 15561, 17025, 18150, 18477, 18710,

 

Adult identification status:

Dissections:

 
Compared with type collection @BMNH & USNM, collections @
 
Specimens dissected by S. Rab Green:
Reared male # 36704 located @ , genitalia slide SRG #130
Reared male # 12414 located @ , genitalia slide SRG #131
Reared male # 36687 located @ , genitalia slide SRG #132

 

Original description of adult:

Dognin, P. 1897. Hétérocères Sud-Américains. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 41: 24.

 

Type locality:

Ecuador: Loja.

 

Known distribution range:

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