Plate 062 · freshly emerged from its cocoon IdentificationSix marks on the plate
- 1Clear window a triangle on each forewing.
- 2A second window on each hindwing.
- 3Hooked wingtip with a pink patch and a dark dot.
- 4White line edged in pink, crossing both wings.
- 5Feathery antennae broad in the male.
- 6Silk cocoon hung from a stalk.
Easily confused with Chilca silk mothRothschildia jacobaeaeLarger and common in central and eastern Argentina, where its caterpillar eats chilca (Baccharis). 062 / 100 · INVERTEBRATES · SATURNIIDAENOT EVALUATED Tucumán silk moth
Rothschildia tucumani
Espejitos tucumano
A moth of the silk moth family, described in 1901 from Tucumán specimens. Each wing has a clear window, like a small mirror. It is one of the smallest and rarest Rothschildia; in the province it has been photographed at Tafí del Valle.
- Described
- Dognin, 1901
- Altitude
- c. 2,000 m (Tafí del Valle)
- Records
- adult in Nov, caterpillar in Jan
- Adult
- does not feed
- Silk moth
- Nocturnal
- Described from Tucumán
- Rare
Altitude rangeA single known spot
Tafí del Valle The only provincial records with a locality are from Tafí del Valle, at about 2,000 m. Its real distribution in the Tucumán Yungas is unknown.
FoodOnly the caterpillar eats
- Leavescaterpillar food
- Caterpillar reservesthe adult lives on them
- Host plantundocumented in Tucumán
Rothschildia caterpillars eat the leaves of shrubs and trees. The plant this species uses in Tucumán is not documented. The adult has no working mouthparts.
BehaviourA brief adult life
J F M A M J J A S O N D Adult recordedCaterpillar recorded - Nocturnal. It flies at night. The male finds the female by scent with his feathery antennae.
- Hanging cocoon. The caterpillar spins a silk cocoon hung from a twig. A parasitic wasp, Trachysphyrus tucuman, lays its eggs inside.
- A few days. Since it does not feed, the adult lives only long enough to breed.
Where to look in Tucumán- Tafí del Valle (RP 307)
- Río Los Sosa