DISTRIBUTION:

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei (wingspan: males: 172-187mm; females: 190mm) flies in
Cameroon and possibly other neighbouring countries.

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei male, Cameroon, 183mm, on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei moths are on the wing in ??

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei male, Cameroon, 172mm, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei females attract males with an airbourne pheromone.

Lobobunaea phaedusa desfontainei female, Cameroon, 190mm, on my home computer only.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Females deposit eggs at night on hostplant foliage. Larvae feed and mature in approximately six weeks. At maturity, the larvae leave the host plant to pupate in subterranean chambers.

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.

Euphorbiaceae.....

Eye-ball tree

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.

The genus name Lobobunaea, is from the Greek and refers to a lobed hill-dweller. The genus specimen type is Lobobunaea phaedusa, males of which have a valve with a subapical lobe. The hindwings are also lobed at the anal angle. It may also be a montane species.

The species name phaedusa means "shining" in Greek, and may have been chosen to recognize the bright rings around the hindwing ocellus. The subspecies name desfontainei is honourific for Desfontaine.

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