Madoryx plutonius plutonius male, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839 Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878 Genus: Madoryx Boisduval, 1875 ........... Species: plutonius plutonius Cramer, 1779

MIDI MUSIC .....It's a Wonderful World..... copyright C. Odenkirk ON.OFF <bgsound src="world.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

Madoryx plutonius, Costa Rica, courtesy of Amy Lowell.

DISTRIBUTION:

Madoryx plutonius plutonius (wingspan: 92-120mm, males considerably smaller than females) flies in
Surinam;
Venezuela;
French Guiana;
Ecuador;
Peru: Junin (VI);
Bolivia;
Brazil Mato Grosso;
Paraguay (PS);
Costa Rica;
Guatemala (JM); etc.,
probably Panama and Colombia and Guyana.

Madoryx plutonius plutonius photographed in Yasuni, Ecuador, (September 6, 2002 - 11:12 PM), courtesy of Steve Graser. Note the triangular patch capped with a dot in the median area. Forewing tips are lighter in colour in plutonius and are also broader and less hooked than in other Madoryx species. The lower portion of the forewing outer margin is quite straight.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Moths are on the wing in just about every month in Costa Rica.

Vladimir Izersky reports a January flight in Junin, Peru.

Visit Madoryx plutonius plutonius, Coviriali, Junin, Peru, January 5, 2008, 662m, courtesy of Vladiimir Izersky.

Madoryx plutonius, Costa-Rica, Tuis-Cartago, courtesy of Frederik Goussey.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose, usually within three weeks, from pupae formed in flimsy cocoons spun amongst leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Madoryx plutonius plutonius female, Costa Rica, courtesy of Dan Janzen.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

The larva feeds on Conostegia xalapensis and has eyes and a false face as does Madoryx oiclus, but the body is more moss colored and has fine green flecking. Larvae spin loose cocoons of yellow silk and leaves, but the cocoon is not nearly as tight as is the Madoryx oiclus cocoon or the Madoryx bubastus cocoon. Image courtesy of Dan Janzen.

The pupa is dark chocolate brown with faint beige 1/2 moon false eyes on the real eyes. The abdominal segments 4,5,6 have posterior 2 mm dull yellow to give the 3 striking yellow rings. When the pupa is removed from its cocoon, the pupa snaps back and forth like a snake. It is an extremely active pupa. The cocoon is really just a bit of disorganized silk sticking leaves together.

Those who first published descriptions and assigned scientific names to many insects, simply chose names of biblical or mythological origin without any real descriptive qualities. Their purpose was simply to set a standard for purposes of identification by assigned name. On some occasions, names, mostly of Latin or Greek origin, were chosen to signify a particular character of the genus or of an individual species.

I do not know the origin of the genus name "Madoryx".

The species name, "pluto", is derived from the Pluto of Greek religion and mythology. Pluto is the god of the underworld, the son of Kronos and Rhea. He is also called Hades. After the fall of the Titans, Pluto and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon divided the universe, and Pluto was awarded everything underground.

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Return to Sphingidae Index
Return to Dilophonotini Tribe

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

This page is brought to you by Bill Oehlke and the WLSS. Pages are on space rented from Bizland. If you would like to become a "Patron of the Sphingidae Site", contact Bill.

Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help.

Enjoy one of nature's wonderments: Live Saturniidae (Giant Silkmoth) cocoons.

Show appreciation for this site by clicking on flashing butterfly to the left. The link will take you to a page with links to many insect sites.