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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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
FIGURE 2b

FIGURE 2b
FIGURE 2c

FIGURE 2c
FIGURE 2d

FIGURE 2d
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
FIGURE 1b

FIGURE 1b
FIGURE 1c

FIGURE 1c
FIGURE 1d

FIGURE 1d
FIGURE 1e

FIGURE 1e
FIGURE 1f

FIGURE 1f
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.