Imbrasia truncata
im-BRAY-see-uhMtrun-KAY-tuh
Aurivillius, 1908

Imbrasia truncata (male), Cameroon,
courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

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: Imbrasia, Hubner, [1819] 1816

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

DISTRIBUTION:

Imbrasia truncata (wingspan: males: 125-126mm; females: 154mm) flies in Ogowe, Congo;
the Central African Republic;
Cameroon: Sud Region: Elone (SB); South West Region: Mt. Cameroon (FL); and in
Gabon: Haut-Ogooue: Franceville (JLA).

Eric van Schayck reports it from Cameroon. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo the moth is known as Likoto. The Natural History Museum lists I. pumila Bouvier 1930 from Belgian Congo (DRC) as a subspecies of I. truncata; Thierry Bouyer indicates pumila is a synonym of truncata.

Philippe Darge includes Angola and Republic of Central Africa in the range.

Imbrasia truncata male, 124mm, Republic of Central Africa,
May 1997, courtesy of Kelly Price.

Imbrasia truncata male, Franceville, Gabon, by Jean-Louis Albert.

In the male, the forewing apex is considerably produced and the hindwing tails are long.

Imbrasia truncata male, July 2006, Elone, Cameroon (Sud Province),
courtesy of Sebastian Brandner.

FLIGHT TIMES AND LARVAL HOSTS:

Philippe Darge reports them on the wing in November in Franceville, Gabon. Sebastian Brander reports them on the wing in July in Elone, Cameroon. Forbi Lucas reports an August flight in South West region of Cameroon. Jean-Louis Albert sends the following images (taken October 28, 2006) from Franceville, Gabon. Kelly Price indicates a May flight in the Republic of Central Africa.

Imbrasia truncata male, Franceville, Gabon, October 28, 2006,
courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Imbrasia truncata male (verso), Franceville, Gabon, October 28, 2006,
courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Visit Imbrasia truncata male (recto/verso), 125mm, Franceville, Gabon, November 3, 2007, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Visit Imbrasia truncata female (recto/verso), 154mm, Franceville, Gabon, November 3, 2008, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

There are probably at least two broods annually, more likely three or four.

Imbrasia truncata larvae feed on Corylus, Uapaca kirkiana and Uapaca nitida. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo it is reported on Gossweilerodendron balsamiferum, Ricinodendron heudelotii and Petersianthus macrocarpus.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Both sexes are active at night. Males, with their elongated "tails", come in to lights around midnight when females are scenting.

Imbrasia truncata female, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti

Imbrasia truncata female, Franceville, Gabon, by Jean-Louis Albert.

The female also has a produced forewing apex and very short projections instead of tails.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

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.

Corylus Gossweilerodendron balsamiferum....... Petersianthus macrocarpus Ricinodendron heudelotii Uapaca kirkiana....... Uapaca nitida

Hazel Bokuku/Bohulu Bolinzo Bosongo Wild loquat Wild loquat

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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.

"Imbrasia", according to Pinhey, 1972, is from the Latin 'imber' meaning rain. Flight, in many cases, may accompany the onset of the rainy season or moths may seem to prefer humid, misty or even rainy nights.

The species name "truncata" refers to the truncated forewing tips of the males and females of this species.