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Project Noah Nature School
Hi Kei,
Beautiful images of the Southern Marbled Emperor, Heniocha apollonia.
I wish permission to post images, credited to you, on my Heniocha apollonia page on the WLSS??
I can be reached at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Bill Oehlke
Bunaeopsis arabella has the common name of "Injured Emperor", probably because of the extensive red on the hindwings. To Karen L,
I misspelled Bunaea alcinoe in my naming of your caterpillar image. Sorry if you went looking for it under Bunae instead of Bunaea.
Sometimes female Saturniidae will oviposit off foodplant. They are actually very popular for collectors to rear because the adult moths do not feed, and adult females will lay hundreds of eggs on the insides on inflated brown paper bags for anyone who wants to collect eggs and rear the various species. The moths are very beautiful in most cases.
This particular female may have been attracted to a night light, landed where she did, and deposited some of her eggs, Sometimes females will dump a few eggs just to lighten the "payload" which might be 250-350 eggs. You can see she still has quite a heavy body.
I have been studying Saturniidae for many many years and can help with identifications of most Saturniidae adults and or their larvae.
I maintain a private membership site, called World's Largest Saturniidae
Site, where over 1500 worldwide Saturniidae species are depicted. I think all of the 45 (approximate number) Saturniidae from South Africa are depicted.
Bill Oehlke
To Karen L,
I had a look at the caterpillar you mention, and it belongs to the same family, but it is not the larva of Bunaeopsis arabella. It is the caterpillar of Bunae alcinoe, the Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth or African Emperor.
Bill Oehlke
very nice photo
Hi, It is one of the Saturniidae. The moth is large, but not atypical in size of many other Saturniidae moths. It is far from being one of the largest moths in that family.
Bill Oehlke
Very nice picture.
Yes, It is Bunaeopsis arabella, one of the Saturniidae. Emperor moths is a phrase often used quite loosely. This moth can be found in the book,
"Emperor Moths of Kwazulu-Natal".
I wish permission to post the images, credited to you, on my Bunaeopsis arabella page which is part of the World's Largest Saturniidae Site??
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Hi,
Your moth is Molippa nibasa, one of the Saturniidae moths.
I request permission to post image, credited to you, on my Molippa nibasa page? Bill Oehlke at
oehlkew@islandtelcom.com
Hi Jonathan,
Ryan alerted me of your posting of an image of Citheronia volcan.
I request permission to post the images, credited to you, on my Saturniidae file for Citheronia volcan. Bill Oehlke.
PS. It is nice to see both the upper wing surfaces as well as the undersides.
Thanks.
