SUBFAMILY HEMILEUCINAE: GENERA LONOMIA AND PERIGA
Two genera of very similar moths that are extremely difficult to distinguish from each other. Lonomia is infamous for the urictating spines of its larvae which have caused occasional fatalities in Brazil. Males particularly are very similar to members of the genus Periga from which they can be most easily separated by the single line crossing the hindwing - Periga has two (an additional basal line continuous with the antemedial line of the forewing). Male Lonomia are variable in colour but consistent in pattern, being anything from pinkish, through yellow to brown. Three species of Periga occur in Paraguay, but circumstans is the most widespread.
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Click on the species links to access the FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Species Account.
Gallery 2 Periga circumstans
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Canindeyú, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Paraguarí (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Coffea (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site), Terminalia (www.pybio.org).
Wingspan - males 25-33mm, females 33-42mm (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 2a - Periga circumstans dorsal - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 2b - Periga circumstans ventral - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 2c - Periga circumstans slight variation - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 2d - Periga circumstans larvae instar 5 - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
![FIGURE 2a FIGURE 2a](tn_Periga circumstans male CZPC545 4 sep 08 proc dorsal.png) | FIGURE 2a |
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![FIGURE 2b FIGURE 2b](tn_Periga circumstans male CZPC545 4 sep 08 proc ventral.png) | FIGURE 2b |
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![FIGURE 2c FIGURE 2c](tn_Periga circumstans male CZPC440 21 Aug 08 proc ventral.png) | FIGURE 2c |
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![FIGURE 2d FIGURE 2d](tn_Periga circumstans L5 www.pybio.org.png) | FIGURE 2d |
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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 and Ulf Drechsel 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.
![FIGURE 1a FIGURE 1a](tn_SAN RAFAEL MOTHS 15c Lonomia obliqua male Saturniidae 6 mar 08.png) | FIGURE 1a |
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![FIGURE 1b FIGURE 1b](tn_Lonomia obliqua male ventral 29 Sep 07.png) | FIGURE 1b |
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![FIGURE 1c FIGURE 1c](tn_Lonomia obliquua male CZPC440 21 Aug 08 proc.png) | FIGURE 1c |
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![FIGURE 1d FIGURE 1d](tn_Lonomia obliqua brown male www.pybio.org.png) | FIGURE 1d |
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![FIGURE 1e FIGURE 1e](tn_Lonomia obliqua fem dorsal 28 sep 07.png) | FIGURE 1e |
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![FIGURE 1f FIGURE 1f](tn_Lonomia obliqua fem ventral 28 sep 07.png) | FIGURE 1f |
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Gallery 1 Lonomia obliquua
Distribution - Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Caazapá, Canindeyú, Concepción, Guairá, Itapúa (www.pybio.org).
Host Plants - Eucalyptus, Ficus, Rollinia, Tabebuia (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site); Erythrina, Pyrus (Pastrana 2004).
Wingspan - males 29-43mm, females 43-52mm. (Oehlke World´s Largest Saturniidae Site).
FIGURE 1a - Lonomia obliquua pinkish male - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007).
FIGURE 1b - Lonomia obliquua pinkish male ventral - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 1c - Lonomia obliquua yellow male - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 1d - Lonomia obliquua brown male - location unknown (Ulf Drechsel www.pybio.org).
FIGURE 1e - Lonomia obliquua female - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
FIGURE 1f - Lonomia obliquua female ventral - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith September 2007).
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, Sylvia Qu, Sigrid Drechsel and Karina Atkinson 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.