Heniocha distincta
hen-ee-OAK-uhmdih-STINKT-uh
Bryk, 1939

Image composited and transformed by Bill Oehlke

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelcom.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: Heniocha, Hübner, [1819] 1816

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DISTRIBUTION:

Heniocha distincta, Bryk's Marbled Emperor (wingspan: males: 50-55mm; females: 55-60mm), is restricted to Namibia, mainly around Windhoek and Okahandja. BOLD Systems indicates it is also from South Africa.The moth is generally considered quite rare and is distinguished from H. apollonia by noticeably smaller eyespots and absence of brown thoracic markings.

Heniocha distincta male, 53mm, BOLD Systems.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Heniocha distincta adults are on the wing from late December until early March.

Larvae feed on Elephant's Root (Elephantorrhiza elephantina).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Heniocha distincta moths mate and fly at night with both sexes attracted to lights. Males are usually slightly smaller than females.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in strings of up to 30 on foodplant leaves.

Larvae are black in first instar.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are 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.

Elephanthorriza elephantina.....

Elephant's Root

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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.

In Greek mythology Heniocha is the daughter of Pittheus and the mother of Sciron.

The species name distincta, means 'distinct' and probably refers to the darker colouration of this species, clearly distinguishing it from other members of the genus.