Lobobunaea rosea rosea
Updated as per Saturnafrica #8 (Zambia: Luapula province: S. Mwense; Central Province: Kasanka N. P.; November), February 2011;; January 31, 2014

Lobobunaea rosea
loh-boh-BEWE-nay-uhMROH-zee-uh
(Sonthonnax, 1899) Bunaea

Lobobunaea rosea rosea female, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti.

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: Lobobunaea, Packard, 1901

MIDI MUSIC

Wind Beneath My Wings
copyright C. Odenkirk
MIDI CITY
ON.OFF
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DISTRIBUTION:

Lobobunaea rosea rosea (forewing length = 55-66mm, females larger than males) flies in Katanga near Lake Tanganika and Burundi, and
Zambia: Luapula province: S. Mwense; Central Province: Kasanka N. P., Africa.

According to Thierry Bouyer, the subspecies thorei is the same as the nominate subspecies.

Lobobunaea rosea thorei male, on my home computer only.

Lobobunaea rosea thorei male, on my home computer only.

Lobobunaea rosea thorei female, on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Lobobunaea rosea rosea moths are probably on the wing in December-February.

Philippe Darge reports a November flight in Zambia.

Larvae probably feed upon Acocanthera, Anisophyllea laurina, Apodytes dimidiata, Eucalyptus, Eugenia cordata, Rhus longifolia and Uapaca nitida.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Lobobunaea rosea females attract males (more falcate wings) with an airbourne pheromone.

Lobobunaea niepelti, or Lobobunaea rosea ?,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, courtesy of Heinz Rothacher.

Rolf Oberprieler tentatively identified the above specimen as Lobobunaea niepelti, but Thierry Bouyer is confident it is Lobobunaea rosea.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

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 rosea refers to the rosy-pinkish cast to this species.

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.

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