DISTRIBUTION:

Erinnyis yucatana (wing span: 92-96 mm), flies in
Mexico: Yucatan (specimen type locality); Quintana Roo (BT); and
Belize south to at least
Costa Rica.

The spelling most often used is yucatana. Perhaps it was originally "misspelled" as yacatana, likely to indicate a range in Yucatan.

Erinnyis yucatana male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Erinnyis yucatana probably broods continuously in the tropics. The reared female, below, eclosed in April.

Erinnyis yucatana female, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
April, 2012, courtesy of Ben Trott.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from pupae formed in loose cocoons spun among surface litter. Eclosions can occur within fourteen days.

Erinnyis yucatana female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

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

Erinnyis yucatana female, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
April, 2012, courtesy of Ben Trott.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae probably feed on papaya (Carica papaya) in the Caricaceae family, Manihot esculenta in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), and various plants (Macroscepis obovata) in the milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae).

Ben Trott writes, "Since I've been searching here in Mexico I've found a lot of stripped Cascabela thevetia, and finally got lucky during the last week. I've attached some photos of the two larvae (one in its fourth instar, the other, a dark morph in its fifth instar), I need a positive ID on this species, I know they're Erinnyis, but the only species that comes close is E. oenotrus, but looking at Dan Janzen's photos my larvae are quite different. I'm hoping that they could be E. yucatana. Notice the black dot near the head on the fourth instar larva, and the pattern near the head on the fifth instar larva." Subsequent eclosion confirms Ben's determination as E. yucatana.

Erinnyis yucatana female, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
April, 2012, courtesy of Ben Trott.

Common names of Cook tree, Be-still tree, Lucky nut and Dicky plant are used for Cascabela thevetia in Family: Apocynaceae. This species has a white, milky sap.

Erinnyis yucatana fourth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana fourth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana early fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana confirmed instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana fifth instar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

Erinnyis yucatana female pupa, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
courtesy of Ben Trott, confirmed identification.

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