Stolidoptera tachasara, Oaxaca, Mexico, courtesy of Fernando Calvo.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke. Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878 Genus: Stolidoptera Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 ........... Species: tachasara Druce, 1888

DISTRIBUTION:

Stolidoptera tachasara moths (wingspan 75-79-92 mm, females larger than males) fly in
Mexico: Oaxaca (FC);
Guatemala (JM); Izabala: near Morales (A&FW);
Panama;
Costa Rica;
etc., southward into northern South America to
Venezuela and now
as far south as Bolivia: Santa Cruz.
Panama is the specimen type locality.

Stolidoptera tachasara male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

FLIGHT TIMES:

In Costa Rica there are records for all months except March and December.

Stolidoptera tachasara, Trogan Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose,
Costa Rica, February 9, 2011, 2420m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz

ECLOSION:

Moths eclose from pupae under leaf litter or in subterranean chambers.

Stolidoptera tachasara female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen.

Males come in to lights quite frequently but females are almost never taken that way.

Stolidoptera tachasara, 75mm, near Morales, Izabal, Guatemalae,
August, 2006, 2200ft, courtesy of Anna & Frank West>

The greenish cast frequently turns to dark brown in preserved specimens.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on Thalia geniculata and probably on other members of the Marantaceae family. Larvae have also been found on Prunus annularis of the Rosaceae family.

Stolidoptera tachasara, Trogan Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, San Jose,
Costa Rica, February 9, 2011, 2420m, courtesy of Gernot Kunz

Moths emerge from pupae about four weeks after pupation.

Check back for larval pics courtesy of D. Janzen.

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