Cirina forda orientalis
Updated as per Saturnafrica #8, 2011 (Luapula Province, Central Province, Zambia); January 31, 2014
Updated as per personal communication with Nigel Voaden (Sakania, souotheastern DRC, January 10, 2013); August 19, 2014

Cirina forda orientalis
Bouvier, 1927

Cirina forda orientalis male, Sakania, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
January 10, 2013, courtesy of Nigel Voaden, subspecies designation by Bill Oehlke.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Tribe: Bunaeini, Packard, 1902
Genus: Cirina, Walker, 1855

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DISTRIBUTION:

Cirina forda orientalis (wingspan: males: 77-96mm) flies in
Cameroon;
Tanzania;
Zambia: Luapula Province: Mwense; Central Province: Kasanka; Mfwanta; Copper Belt (WO?) and
the Democratis Republic of the Congo: Sakania (NV); and probably in Central African Republic.

This moth, (2011) at least, maintains its status as a subspecies of Cirina forda.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Cirina forda orientalis has been taken in Zambia in October, and Nigel Voaden confirms a January flight in Sakania in southeastern DRC near the border with Copper Belt, Zambia.

Cirina forda orientalis male, Sakania, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
January 7, 2013, courtesy of Nigel Voaden, subspecies designation by Bill Oehlke.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Cirina forda orientalis adults mate and fly at night and both sexes come to lights, the males usually later than the females. The urge to oviposit is so strong that females seldom visit lights without having first deposited all their eggs.

Males have slight projections on the lower wings. Both sexes rest with all wings folded together rather than flattened.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are laid in a single large cluster around the tips of foodplant twigs.

Larvae are extremely gregarious in all instars. They are smooth with thin yellow stripes in the first three instars before taking on the hairy, speckled appearance of the final two moults.

Pupation is under the soil.

Larval Food Plants


It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

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Cirina forda orientalis male, on my home computer only.

Cirina forda orientalis male, Tanzania,
96mm, on my home computer only.