SUBFAMILY HEMILEUCINAE: GENERA AUTOMERIS AND GAMELIA
Automeris is a large genus of medium to large Saturniids with brightly-coloured hindwings. The 11 Paraguayan species can be broadly split into four different groups based on the colouration of the hindwing:
1 Mostly yellow hindwing - granulosa and submacula (see also Hyperchiria).
2 Mostly orange hindwing - amoena, bilinea, hamata and illustris.
3 Grey-based hindwing with orange area around ocellus - naranja and umbrosa.
4 Pink-based hindwing with different colouration around ocellus - basalis (yellow), beckeri (pink and black) and egeus (whitish)
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Gallery 2 Automeris submacula
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Canindeyú, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Paraguarí (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Robinia, Bamboo (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Acacia, Platanus, Robinia (Pastrana 2004), Cassia (www.pybio.org).
Wingspan - males 72-88mm, females 73-93mm (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 2a - Automeris submacula - Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay, San Lorenzo (Paul Smith August 2009).
FIGURE 2b - Automeris submacula male dorsal -  PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 2c - Automeris submacula male ventral -  PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 2d - Automeris submacula female- Tobatí, Departamento Cordillera (Sergio Rios undated).
FIGURE 2e - Automeris submacula larva instar 5 - location unknown (C. Conlan www.pybio.org).
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Gallery 5 Automeris bilinea
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Fagus, Rosa, Salix (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
Wingspan - males 82-95mm, females 91-122mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 5a - Automeris bilinea - Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay, San Lorenzo (Paul Smith August 2009).
FIGURE 5b - Automeris bilinea female - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 5c - Automeris bilinea at rest - Estancia Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Karina Atkinson September 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 5d - Automeris bilinea - Estancia Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Karina Atkinson September 2010 - Para La Tierra).
FIGURE 5e - Automeris bilinea larva instar 5 - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
Thanks to Bill Oehlke and Ulf Drechsel for assistance with Emperor Moth identification.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on the page were provided by Paul Smith, Ulf Drechsel, Sergio Rios, Leila K, Chris Elder, Karina Atkinson, Para La Tierra, Alberto Esquivel, C.Conlan and C.Chang and are used with permission.
Special thanks to Ulf Drechsel for permission to use images from his site www.pybio.org.
Ulf is "el capo" of Saturniids in Paraguay and anybody with an interest in this group should check out his web page for additional information.
Gallery 1 Automeris granulosa
Distribution - Alto Paraguay, Boquerón, Presidente Hayes (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Bauhinia, Brysonima, Chamaechrista, Erythroxylum, Vatairea (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
Wingspan - 63-83mm females larger than males (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 1a - Automeris granulosa male - specimen from Mariscal Estigarribia, Departamento Boquerón (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 1b - Automeris granulosa male - specimen from Cruce Los Pioneros, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Sergio Rios undated).
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FIGURE 1b
Gallery 3 Automeris amoena amoena
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Caaguazú. Canindeyú, Cordillera, Guairá. Itapúa, Paraguarí, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro, (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Crataegus, Fagus, Quercus, Salix (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Acacia, Aspidosperma, Celtis, Mimosa, Schinopsis, Prosopis, Robinia, Tamarix (Pastrana 2004).
Wingspan - males 69-92mm, females 83-103mm (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 3a - Automeris amoena male at rest - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 3b - Automeris amoena - Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 3c - Automeris amoena ventral - Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 3d - Automeris amoena male dorsal - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 3e - Automeris amoena male ventral - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 3f - Automeris amoena larva - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Leila K August 2008).
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Gallery 4 Automeris illustris
Distribution - Itapúa.
The specimens depicted here were identified as A.illustris from the photographs by Bill Oehlke citing the following characters as distinguishing the amoena in Fig 3d and 3e from those in this gallery:
"I am pretty sure the smaller of the three Automeris is amoena wingspan 84mm, note more rounded hindwing pupil as well as smaller size, am line is angulate with straight line segments"
For the specimens in this gallery he added:
"The other two Automeris are larger 99mm and 91mm and have concave middle segment to the am line. Forewings also seem to have different shapes from first one and pm lines are different with regard to how preapical they are. I feel they are illustris."
Ulf Drechsel has not recorded A.illustris in Paraguay despite DNA identification of specimens and 25 years of field work across the country, though he has done little sampling in southern Paraguay where these specimens were captured and where A.illustris might be most expected to occur. The identity of these images however is not confirmed and A.illustris is best considered hypothetical for Paraguay.
Host Plants - Crataegus, Ficus,, Ligustrum, Platanus, Syringa (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Acacia, Bombax, Cajanus, Coffea, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Ficus, Glycine, Gossypium, Ilex, Lonicera, Luffa, Mangifera, Morum, Panicum, Plumbago, Platanus, Psidium, Salix, Trema (Pastrana 2004).
Wingspan - males 89-101mm, females 91-122mm (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 4a - Automeris illustris male dorsal - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 4b - Automeris illustris male ventral - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 4c - Automeris illustris male dorsal - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 4d - Automeris illustris male ventral - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
Gallery 6 Automeris hamata
Distribution - Alto Paraguay, Canindeyú, Concepción (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Fagus, Laburnum. Ligustrum, Robinia, Salix (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
Wingspan - males 61-81mm, females 79-98mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 6a - Automeris hamata male - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
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Gallery 7 Automeris naranja
Distribution - Alto Paraguay, Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Canindeyú, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro, (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Feijoa. Ligustrum, Lonicera, Prunus, Quercus, Salix, Syringa (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Annona, Caesalpina, Citrus, Feijoa, Hibiscus, Ilex, Jacaranda, Ligustrum, Lonicera, Mimosa, Phebe, Phyllostylum, Platanus, Rosa, Tabebuia, Tecoma, Tipuana, Wisteria (Pastrana 2004).
Wingspan - males 61-81mm, females 79-98mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 7a - Automeris naranja male - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 7b - Automeris naranja male - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2008).
FIGURE 7c - Automeris naranja variant female - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2008).
FIGURE 7d - Automeris naranja female at rest - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2008).
FIGURE 7e - Automeris naranja defence display - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2008).
FIGURE 7f - Automeris naranja female - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 7g - Automeris naranja larva instar 5 - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Chris Elder left, Alberto Esquivel right December 2007).

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Gallery 8 Automeris umbrosa lampei
Distribution - Guairá, Paraguarí (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - no information.
Wingspan - males 57-65mm, females 68-79mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 8a - Automeris umbrosa female - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
Extremely similar to A.naranja and only reliably distinguished by the clearly paler medial area on the forewing (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
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FIGURE 8a
Gallery 9 Automeris basalis
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Canindeyú, Guairá, Itapúa (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Robinia, Bamboo (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
Wingspan - males 54-70mm, females 69-84mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 9a - Automeris basalis male - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2008).
FIGURE 9b - Automeris basalis male ventral - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2008).
FIGURE 9c - Automeris basalis lateral at rest - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel March 2008).
FIGURE 9d - Automeris basalis dorsal at rest - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel March 2008).
FIGURE 9e - Automeris basalis - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel March 2008).
FIGURE 9f - Automeris basalis larva instar 5 - PROCSOARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel December 2007).

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Gallery 10 Automeris beckeri
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Guairá (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants  -  Fagus, Prunus, Quercus, Sorocea (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Sorocea (Pastrana 2004).
Wingspan - males 91-113mm, females 105-120mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 10a - Automeris beckeri male - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
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Gallery 11 Automeris egeus
Distribution - Canindeyú - the specimen pictured is the only record for Paraguay (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants -  Fagus, Quercus, Salix, Rosaceae (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
Wingspan - males 96-134mm, females 103-135mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 11a - Automeris egeus - Mbaracyú Biosphere Reserve, Departmento Canindeyú (C. Chang www.pybio.org).