Friday, 23 September 2016

Silkmoth of the week: Citheronia laocoon

I think I have a new favorite: Citheronia laocoon. This lovely species occurs in South America, from French Guiana, Brasil and Bolivia, south to Paraguay and Argentina. It's one of the smaller species in the genus. The males have a wingspan in between six and a half and nine centimeter. The females are larger with a wingspan between nine and eleven centimeter. In captivity they brood continuously as long as there are high temperatures (above 25 degrees Celsius) and a medium to high humidity. With lower temperatures and humidity the pupae can remain dormant for several months. However, there is no need to try to overwinter them. The caterpillars feed on several evergreen plants which can easily be found in most part of the temperate region, like Ligustrum and Prunus laurocerasus.


Citheronia laocoon male
Citheronia laocoon male - Origin: Argentina

Citheronia laocoon male
Citheronia laocoon male - Origin: Argentina

Citheronia laocoon male
Citheronia laocoon male - Origin: Argentina

Citheronia laocoon male
Citheronia laocoon male - Origin: Argentina