Introduction

CRAMER (1772 [1779]: 6-7, pl. 197, figs A, B), described two similar species of Saturniidae, from Surinam, based on specimens presumably reared from distinct caterpillars, described by STOLL (1790: 93-94, pl. 19, figs 1 A, B; 2 C, D): Phalaena Attacus armida, based on a male reared from a black caterpillar, and Phalaena Attacus cassandra, based on a female reared from a yellow caterpillar.

FABRICIUS (1781: 169), before the publication of Stoll’s work, assuming that both names were junior homonyms, proposed Bombyx erythrinae Fabricius, 1781 as a replacement name, inspired by the illustrations and description by MERIAN (1705: pl. 11), who stated that the species was reared on Erythrina fusca (BECKER & STEARN, 1982:178), regarding Phalaena Attacus cassandra as a junior synonym of Phalaena Attacus armida, a synonymy accepted by all subsequent authors (BOUVIER (1931: 231), LEMAIRE (1976: 219, 1980: 26, 1996: 28), TRAVASSOS & NORONHA (1970: 107), except for DRAUDT (1930: 792) and SCHLÜSSER (1936: 15), who regarded Arsenura cassandra as a good species, and A. erythrinae as a form of A. armida. A female, reared by the author, from a caterpillar that matches the description and illustration of Phalaena Attacus cassandra, raises doubts about this synonymy, as seen below.

Abbreviations

CPAC Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Cerrados, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), Planaltina, DF, Brazil

USNM National Museum of Natural History, Washingotn, DC

Results

A female (CPAC 5580) (Fig. 2) reared by the author from a yellow caterpillar matching exactly the description and illustrations by STOLL (1791: 93, pl. 19, figs 2 C, 2 D), brings new evidence that Arsenura cassandra and A. armida might be distinct species.

Figs 1-6.–
Arsenura cassandra and A. armida.1.A. cassandra, female, Surinam (from Cramer, 1779, pl. 197 B). 2.A. cassandra, female, reared from a larva collected in the DF, Brazil. 3-4.A. armida, caterpillars (from Stoll, [1790], pl. 19 1A, B). 5-6.A. cassandra, caterpillars (from Stoll, [1790], pl. 19 2 C, 2 D).

Immatures (Figs 3-6): The larvae of A. armida (Figs 3-4) are banded black and yellow, or entirely black as given by STOLL (1791: pl. 19, figs 1, 1 A), presumably an extremely melanic form, or a larva with the body retracted hiding, almost totally, the yellow bands, with head, abdominal legs and last abdominal segment, red, whereas that of A. cassandra (Figs 5-6) are bright yellow with small dots and short, thin black lines scattered along the body, and with head, abdominal legs, and last segment of abdomen red, as in the former. The illustrations and description of the larvae by MERIAN (1705: 11), reproduced here (Fig. 7): “it is yellow with black stripes…”, clearly indicates that the species belongs to A. cassandra (Cramer). These differences seems consistent throghout their development, as illustrated by Stoll. The proportion of black and yellow, of A. armida varies (as shown by the many images available on the internet), from almost totally black to nearly all yellow, banded with thin black rings.

Fig. 7.–
Merian’s 1705: pl.11.

Food plants: The caterpillars of Arsenura spp. are commonly found feeding on several species of Malvaceae [currently including the species formerly included in the Bombacaceae, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae), such as Bombax, Guazuma, Luhea, Theobroma, etc., but also on plants of other families, like Annonaceae (Annona, Rollinia, etc.) (SILVA et al., 1968). No record for A. cassandra food plant was found in the literature. The larva studied here was found feeding of the leaves of Guazuma ulmiflolia Lam. (Malvaceae), at Planatlina, close to Brasília, DF, Brazil. Erithrina fusca Lour., as the food plant, mentioned by MERIAN (1705), is probably a mistake as neither A. cassandra, nor A. armida have been reared on Fabaceae. Such confusions occur throughout Merian’s work. As Merian painted the illustrations separately, on individual pieces of paper, she either had lost her notes or had their associations wrong, mixing them up when, back in Holland, she assembled the plates. For these reason her work had been strongly criticized by early authors, as mentioned by STEARN (1982: 82): “Thus from these critical surveys of Merian’s work by Guilding and Burmeister it was evident indeed that the larvae, pupae and perfect insects she portrayed together on a single plate were not necessarily connected with one another or with the associated plant. This does not mean that her work lacks scientific value.”

Distribution: Arsenua armida is widely distributed throughout South America, from Colombia to Bolivia (LEMAIRE, 1980: 26, fig. 8).

Remarks: As the type material of both Phalaena Attacus armida and P. A. cassandra are lost, LEMAIRE (1980: 26) designated as neotypes a couple of specimens from Surinam, the type locality of both species. The female (Fig. 2), reared from a yellow caterpillar that matched exactly the description of the female of A. cassandra by Cramer (Fig. 1) and of the caterpillars by Stoll (Figs 5, 6) matches the description and illustrations of the female of A. armida, as described and illustrated by LEMAIRE (1980: pl. 1, fig. 2; pl. 2, fig. 2; pl. 4, fig. 2). This evidence: a distinct caterpillar, originally described as P. A. cassandra, resulting in a female that matches the females of P. A. armida, as currently accepted, raises doubts about the status of the two names. Do they really represent the same species, or they are distinct species? If, distinct species, which name should be applied to what is currently considered A. armida? Arsenura armida is the most common of the species of the genus, and it’s conspicuous, gregarious caterpillars are frequently found during day time on the trunk of the host plants (what is indicated by the many pictures posted in the internet). At night they move up to the canopy to feed. On the contrary, the caterpillars A. cassandra seems to be less common (a search in the internet and literature gave no results). It seems that some indigenous people regard the caterpillars of the former a delicacy. During a collecting trip to the Amazonian side of Ecuador, at the Misahualli lodge, it was observed a couple of native girls, very excited, shouting something like “tipuli culi, tipuli culi”, picking the caterpillar they spotted on the trunk of a tree, that they took home (“very delicious”, according to one of them). The natives of Mexico and Guatemala also regard the caterpillars, that they call “cholote”, “cuecla”, “zat”, etc., as a delicacy (LANDERO-TORRES et al., 2012).

Acknowledgments

Gabriel Fornari, Reserva Serra Bonita, Camacan, Bahia) and William Camargo, CPAC, Planaltina, DF, Brazil helped with the images. Carlos G. Mielke (Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil), and Scott E. Miller (USNM), revised the manuscript, presenting several corrections and additions that improved the manuscript greatly.

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