Gonimbrasia (Nudaurelia) dione
nood-aur-REEL-ee-uhMdye-ON-ee
(Fabricius, 1793) Bombyx

Gonimbrasia dione male, copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.

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: Nudaurelia, Rothschild, 1895

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

DISTRIBUTION: Nudaurelia dione (wingspan: males: approximately 107-111mm-(135mm CT); females: probably larger) flies in Malawi; Zambia: Mwinilunga, N.W. Province; Mfwanta and Kasanka N.P. Central Province (SA#8), possibly a rhodina specimen?? Cameroon: Littoral: Mount Muaninguba (FG), Est Province: Yokadouma (AG); and Tanzania; and Gabon: Haut-Ogooue: Franceville (JLA). Julius Busingye reports it from Uganda (confirmed in Kampala, August, 2015, David Bygott, id by Bill Oehlke); Felix Stumpf reports it from Ivory Coast: (Adiopodoumé, January, March, May and August-September; Lamto. September (SCI)). Thierry Bouyer confirms it from Kenya and DR Congo. I suspect it also flies in PR Congo: Oesso (confirmed SA#8). Jerome Teva Paire confirms it in northwestern Angola: Malongo, Cabinda Province (JTP). The Natural History Museum reports it from Guinea where Thierry Bouyer also confirms it on Bioko Island. To the right it is celebrated on a Central African Republic stamp. Larva, below on PRC stamp. It can probably also be found in Nigeria, Benin, Togo: Kaplimé (RL); Ghana (AM); and possibly even further to the west beyond Ivory Coast. Thierry Bouyer indicates there are many different species/subspecies still (2010) referred to as N. dione. They are "different because of wingshape and color (confirmed by barcode). I use "dione" in a large sense because his true identity needs to be checked as for the all names involved in the complex. This complex (something around a dozen species) must include all the taxa of the rhodina / rubra group (s.s., not the species of the anthina, cleoris/nyassana and venus/myrtea groups)."

I (William Oehlke) notice that the specimen from Angola, courtesy of Jerome Teva Paire, has a pointed forewing apex that is only very slightly produced. It seems to be a brighter yellow than the other specimens with reduced markings in the post median area and forewing eyespots that are less rounded than in other specimens.

The specimens from Mount Muaninguba in southwestern Cameroon (Littoral Province) also has a pointed forewing apex, but the apex is quite produced. There are extensive diffuse markings (with arches almost meeting the outer margin) in the postmedian area, and the forewing eyespots are quite rounded. These are likely two different species.

The specimen at the top of the page, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe, has a forewing apex that is slightly produced, but the outer edge of the apex is rounded rather than pointed. In that regard, it is quite similar to the specimen from Franceville, Gabon, courtesy of Jean-Louis-Albert, but the pm lines on the hindwing are markedly different in their proximity to the eyespots.

The Dave Rolfe image from Mwinilunga, N.W. Province, Zambia, is more likely N. rhodina, and the specimen from Gabon courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie seems to have a forewing pm line much closer to the outer margin than in other specimens with weaker pink suffusions.

The two verso images also seem to represent different species/subspecies. I suspect there are at least three or four (maybe more) different species/subspecies depicted on this page.

Recently I have received received images of a Nudaurelia dione ?, male from Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet. This specimen has some features intermediate among the others depicted on this page. It may be a few years before this group gets sorted.

Nudaurelia dione, Gabon, courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie

Thierry Bouyer (identification) reports this species is quite common in southern Cameroon. Frederik Goussey has supplied the image to the left from Mount Muaninguba in southern Cameroon. The hindwing dark median band may run to the midpoint of the eyespot, just below the eyespot (tangential) or well spaced from and below the eyespot. See Nudaurelia dione male, September 16, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Nudaurelia dione male, August 17, 2006, Franceville, Gabon,
wingspan 107mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Nudaurelia dione/rhodina (orange) male, Mwinilunga, N.W. Province, Zambia,
wingspan 110mm, courtesy of David T. Rolfe .

Of the David T. Rolfe moth from Mwinilunga, Thierry Bouyer writes, when I asked for an id, "Nudaurelia, I don't know, I don't believe it is dione. I have a long series in my collection, it is quite a mix between rhodina and dione."

I have also placed the image on the Nudaurelia rhodina page as Jiri Zabokrtsky had earlier sent me a N. rhodina image from the same general area.

Nudaurelia dione male, Ghana, ,
courtesy of Jason Wright, via Alan Marson.

FLIGHT TIMES AND LARVAL HOSTS:

Jean-Louis Albert sends an image from Franceville, Gabon, taken on August 17, 2006. Jean-Louis sent an image of another specimen taken September 16 in Francevile. Jerome Teva Paire sends the following image taken in Angola in October. I suspect there is also at least one other flight in January-February. Jerome Teva Paire confirms them in northwestern Angola in January. Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet, reports a January 8, 2011 flight of Nudaurelia dione in Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon.

It has been taken in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in December.

Nudaurelia dione male, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,
December 2013, courtesy of Cabin Tom, id by Thierry Bouyer.

Records from Ivory Coast indicates it probably broods continously with specimens taken in January, March, May and August-September.

Nudaurelia dione male, Malongo, Cabinda Province, Angola,
October 30, 2008, 5°23'3.66"S, 12°12'11.30"E, hilly savannah and forests
courtesy of Jerome Teva Paire.

Nudaurelia dione larvae feed upon Ricinus, Mimosa, Theobrama, Jatropha, Spondias, Anacardium, Aleurites, Chlorophora, Bauhinia, Diplorhynchus, Eugenia, Khaya, Psidium and Erythroxylum.

Nudaurelia dione female courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING: Both sexes are active at night. Males come in to lights around midnight when females are scenting. EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE: Tightly adhering eggs are deposited in clusters of 10-30 on leaves or foodplant twigs. Nudaurelia dione male, forewing length 68mm, Cameroon. Identification by Philippe Darge.

Nudaurelia dione male (verso), August 17, 2006, Franceville, Gabon,
wingspan 107mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

First instar larvae are leathery yellow and highly gregarious. Robert Lemaitre reports larvae remain gregarious in all instars. he has had success rearing them on Rhus (sumac). The larva is an important food staple in many African countries and is recognized on a People's Republic of the Congo postage stamp. In the final instar they are black with yellow scoli.

Pupation is in the soil inside the fifth instar larval skin.

Nudaurelia dione larva, copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.

Nudaurelia dione eggs, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

Nudaurelia dione first instar, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

Nudaurelia dione second instars, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

Nudaurelia dione third instars, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

Nudaurelia dione fourth instar, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

Nudaurelia dione fifth instar, Kaplimé (Togo), courtesy of Robert Lemaitre.

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.

Aleurites fordii Aleurites montana Anacardium occidentale Bauhinia petersiana Chlorophora Diplorhynchus mossambicensis....... Erythroxylum havanese Eugenia Jatropha curcas Khaya Mimosa Psidium Rhus (RL) Ricinus communis Spondias lutea Theobrama cacao

China wood oil tree Mu-oil tree Cashewnut Kanchan Muvuli Diplorhynchus mossambicensis Erythroxylum havanese Stopper/Waterboom Barbados nut/Physic nut African mahogany Mimosa Guava Sumac Castor oil bean Mombin Cocoa

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

The genus/subgenus name Nudaurelia means 'naked gold' (Pinhey), and refers to the colouration of the specimen type Bombyx dione.

According to Pinhey, 1972, Dione is the name of the woodland Venus from Greek mythology. Other sources list Dione as the wife of Zeus and mother of Venus.

Nuduarelia dione male, South Kivu, Democratic republic of the Congo,
February 8, 2011, courtesy of Elisabetta Macumelli, id and slight digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

Gonimbrasia dione male, Cameroon,
courtesy of Kelly Price.

Nudaurelia dione, Kampala, Uganda,
August 2015, courtesy of David Bygott, id by Bil Oehlke.