Heniocha dyops
hen-ee-OAK-uhMDYE-ops
(Maassen, 1872) (Saturnia)

Heniocha dyops (female), Namibia, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

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

MIDI MUSIC Wind Beneath My Wings copyright C. Odenkirk MIDI CITY ON.OFF <bgsound src="wings.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

Heniocha dyops, The Western Marbled Emperor (wingspan: males: 65-85mm; females: 70-95mm), flies extensively in southern Africa, predominantly in the western, drier parts, with males being considerably smaller than females. There are isolated populations in Kenya and southern Angola with the predominant range in Namibia, northern Cape province, and northern Natal and Transvaal in South Africa, and Botswana: Ghanzi; and Zimbabwe. Julius Busingye reports it from Uganda. Thierry Bouyer confirms it in Tanzania, Kenya and Malawi. I suspect is also flies in Zambia and Mozambique, although I have no official confirmation for those two countries. Forewings are more heavily marked than those of H. marnois. Cooper and Cooper suggest the common name, Cloud Emperor, for its heavy dark markings and its presence in eastern as well as western South Africa.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Heniocha dyops adults are on the wing from September-October and again November-December to February-March.

Larvae feed on Acacia mellifera (Black thorn), Blue thorn (A. erubescens), and Mountain thorn (A. hereroensis) in Namibia. Elsewhere the larvae also feed on Knob thorn (A. nigrescens) and Black Monkey thorn (A. burkei).

Although sent to me as Heniocha marnois f. bioculata, (Aurivillius, 1879), Namibia, courtesy of Werner Zoller, Rolf Oberprieler indicates the above is a male Heniocha dyops f. bioculata.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Heniocha dyops moths mate and fly at night with both sexes attracted to lights. Females are usually larger than males.

Heniocha dyops male, Gaborone, Botswana,
March 4, 2014, courtesy of Dian.

Heniocha dyops male, Okavango Delta, Botswana,
November 26, 2013, courtesy of Charles J. Sharp, Creative Commons license.

Heniocha dyops male, Thakadu Game Farm, Ghanzi, Botswana,
February 2, 2006, courtesy of Muir.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Small, shiny, bluish-white eggs are deposited in small rows of 6-10 on foodplant leaves and twigs. Incubation is a relatively short 8-10 days. Larvae are at first gregarious becoming more solitary after the second instar when they begin hiding on the undersides of leaves and branches. Silvery spines provide excellent camouflage against a light sky. Lengths of 65 mm are achieved before larvae descend trees to pupate in soil.

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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.

Pinhey indicates the species name dyops is from the Greek and means "double-eyed".