Eupalamides cyparissias is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 in the Castniidae

Castniidae

Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with less than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They...

 family. It is widespread in the Amazon basin

Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...

 including Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, the Guianas

The Guianas

The Guyanas or the Guianas refers to a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:* French Guiana, an overseas department of France;...

 and north to Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 140-180 mm.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Elaeis guineensis, Cocos nucifera, Mauritia carana

Mauritia carana

Mauritia carana is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.-Source:* Henderson, A. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....

, Mauritiella peruviana, Astrocaryum murumuru

Astrocaryum murumuru

Astrocaryum murumuru is a palm native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Brazil, which bears edible fruits. Murumuru butter, extracted from the seeds of the plant, may be used as a moisturizer.-External links:...

and Astrocaryum javarense and are considered a major pest to economically important palm species. The larvae are 110-130 mm long. Early instars feed on the surface of the petiole, scratching the epidermis and then perforating the interior. They create sinuous tunnels with irregular borders. These interrupt the flow of water and nutrients, causing premature senescence of the flowers or fruits. Pupation takes place in a pupa with a length of 64-95 mm which is contained in a compact cocoon formed of fibers of the host plant.

Subspecies

• Eupalamides cyparissias cyparissias (Trinidad, Guyana, Surinam, Panama)
• Eupalamides cyparissias amazonensis (Houlbert, 1917) (Amazonas, Peru)
• Eupalamides cyparissias conspicua (Rothschild, 1919) (Bolivia)
• Eupalamides cyparissias paraensis (Lathy, 1922) (Brazil: Para)