DISTRIBUTION:

The Adhemarius ypsilon moth (wingspan: males: 89-117; females: 107-126mm) flies in
Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Puntarenas, San Jose, Alajuela, Carthage, Lemon, Heredia.

Specimens have also been taken in
México;
Belize: Orange Walk, Cayo;
Guatemala: Izabal (JM);
Nicaragua: Madriz, Jinotega, Matagalpa, Granada, Zalayas, Rio San Juan;
Venezuela: Amazonas, Aragua, Bolivar, Lara, Tachira, Zulia;
French Guiana **;
Ecuador: (Napo: Rio Hollin (HM));
Perú and
Bolivia: La Paz (750m).

Eitschberger, 2002, divided this species into ypsilon and roessleri ** with the latter flying from northern Peru eastward to French Guiana, excluding ypsilon from French Guiana.

I do not know where ypsilon and roessleri overlap or even if they do have a common area. Perhaps they have distinct ranges. Hence I do not know for sure whether the images sent by Hubert Mayer from Napo, Ecuador, are ypsilon or roessleri.

Adhemarius ypsilon male, Rio Hollin, Napo, Ecuador,
November 19, 1998, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer copyright.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Adhemarius ypsilon adults are taken at lights every month of the year in Costa Rica. Hubert Mayer reports a November flight in Rio Hollin, Napo, Ecuador.

Adhemarius ypsilon males, Rio Hollin, Napo, Ecuador,
November 19, 24, 25, courtesy/copyright of Hubert Mayer.

Adhemarius ypsilon larvae feed upon Ocotea veraguensis, Ocotea atirrensis, Ocotea sarah and Ocotea dendrodaphne.

Adhemarius ypsilon female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

Adhemarius ypsilon dark form courtesy of Steve Graser, Ecuador.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adhemarius ypsilon female courtesy of Hubert Mayer copyright.

Adhemarius ypsilon female, Peru, courtesy of Vladimir Izersky.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Color morphs of larva courtesy of Dan Janzen:

Adhemarius ypsilon yellow morph.

Development from pupation to adult emergence is less than three weeks (sixteen to eighteen days). The pupa is dark chestnut, smooth and shiny. I suspect the larvae will pupate in dark buckets under layers of paper towels as opposed to more natural (shallow) underground pupation.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants. It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Ocotea atirrensis Ocotea dendrodaphne....... Ocotea sarah Ocotea veraguensis

Ocotea atirrensis Ocotea dendrodaphne Ocotea sarah Ocotea veraguensis

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