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Project Noah Nature School
Aurivilius fuscus
Largest moth I have ever seen, app about 15 cm wingspan.
It took cover from the wind and the rain under the roof of my little house. Attracted to light.
Pretty interesting that this large, beautiful and widespread moth genus, are so poorly documented in the internet.
Na, na, do not exaggerate, Tina... If research is adding a bulk of links, OK, my job is done. And since I daily have to earn my ranger patch, that's my job. And it was a pleasure and leasure job!
oi! I just think you've outdone yourself Bayucca! What an inpressive research!!!
Thanks a bunch to you and for the additional information/confirmation Martijn :)
Thanks Martin. My arguments are just what my eyes see. If the range, which has in many cases in my opinion the weakest evidence because of the reliability of the sources and information, would also match, the better ;-)...
You might be right bayucca, also the maps at the boldsystem website seem to be in favour of Aurivilius aratus fuscus, as those specimens were caught in the same area, as to Aurivilius triramis seems to be more to the east side of Africa. It would also explain the antennae, as the Aurivilius aratus fuscus has much wider antennae.
Anyway, good job doing research bayucca!
Saturniidae, Saturniinae, Aurivilius sp. and in my eyes Aurivilius fuscus or Aurivillius aratus fuscus not Aurivilius triramis.
At first sight they really look identical. If you look very carefully and compare the 2 candidates my argument for being Fuscus and not Triramis is the "almost" straight dark line in the middle of the forewing in yours and Fuscus and a somekind zig-zagged line in Triramis. In some examples this line is very thin and also in Fuscus a little bit towards zig-zagging, but still a tendency to be "straight" and not zig-zagged in that extension like as it is seen in Triramis.
Fuscus:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qHWEJQBO8vI/UL...
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/41...
http://www.africanmoths.com/pages/SATURN...
http://www.saturniidae-web.de/Aurivilliu...
http://fotoskool.co.za/photo/aurivillius...
http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Tax...
Triramis:
http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Tax...
http://www.saturniidae-web.de/Aurivilliu...
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/kwatrir...
http://www.africanmoths.com/pages/SATURN...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31963237@N0...
http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/v...
Do you agree, folks??
I forgot to thank you for the ID suggestion Martijn! I am very thankful for this :)
I have a hard time here... I think that this big moth is very similar to other pictures of the Aurivilius triramis, apart from one thing. The antennaes on mine are different. Can this vary within a species?
Those two look very similar to me so difficult to say which one is yours. Martijn probably right.
You can also look at these two links for comparison.
http://www.africanmoths.com/pages/SATURN...
http://www.africanmoths.com/pages/SATURN...
Aurivilius fuscus is another option, but this one seemed to match a bit better to me
Spotted on Oct 30, 2013
Submitted on Nov 4, 2013
