This work aimed to study the biology and the morphology of immature stages of Automeris naranja Schaus, 1898, which is a polyphytophagous hemileucinae and their caterpillars might cause erucism. The biological parameters were obtained under laboratory conditions with temperature: 25 ± 1ºC; UR 70 ± 10%; photofase of 14 hours, and daily observations. On each developmental phase, morphological and ethologic aspects, as well as duration and viability, were evaluated. In order to link the host plants to the insect it were added data of collected material on field and referred in the bibliography. The life cycle was of approximately 128 days, whose average periods of eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adult phases were 14.89, 69.00, 35.19 and 7.61 days, respectively. The caterpillars passed by six instars with a growth average rate of 1.46. It was observed a high degree of polyphytophagy over 61 host plants belonging in 26 families. The biotic potential was estimated on 1,195,606.994 individuals in the year.
Biological parameters; caterpillars; erucism; life cycle
