DISTRIBUTION:

The Gynanisa hecqui moth flies in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and possibly in Tanzania according to Thierry Bouyer.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Gynanisa hecqui larvae feed upon Acacia and Mopane.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosion is from a subterranean pupa. Males fly around midnight, the calling time of females.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

I do not know the source of Gynanisa, but it probaly comes from some combination of the following: "gyn" is a Latin prefix for woman. The Arabic "Anisa" (ah-NEE-sah) means "friendly, congenial." The Hindi "Anisha" means "end of night." Since "maja" is a common Hindi word, as are ata and jama, two other species in the genus, I suspect there is a link in their choices even though the species were determined in 1936 (maja), 1911 (ata) and 1915 (jama). The females of this species call around midnight, technically the end of the night, the beginning of a new day.

The species name hecqui is "for the Belgian entomologist Jacques Hecq, a specialist of the African butterflies fauna, especially the Limenitine and Pieridae, secretary and editor of the revue Lambillionea. One of the biggest names in Belgium." (quote from Thierry Bouyer).

Listed below are the primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. 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.

Acacia Colophospermum mopane.....

Acacia Mopane

Use your browser" Back" button to return to the previous page.