Micragone agathylla agathylla

Updated as per personal communication with Rodolphe Rougerie, December 15, 2005
Updated as per personal communication with Jean-Louis Albert, November 2007
Updated as per personal communication with Sebastian Brandner, April 2008
Updated as per Saturnafrica #8, February 2011, Darge (Ouesso, northern Congo); February 1, 2014

Micragone agathylla agathylla
mye-kragh-GOHN-neeMagh-guh-THILL-uh
(Westwood, 1849) (Saturnia)

Micragone agathylla (male), Cameroon, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Saturniinae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Tribe: Micragonini Cockerell in Packard, 1914 (1902)
Genus: Micragone, Walker, 1855

MIDI MUSIC

"Moon River"
copyright C. Odenkirk

ON.OFF

DISTRIBUTION:
Micragone agathylla agathylla (wingspan: males: 79mm; females: probably larger) flies in Africa. Julius Busingye reports it from Uganda. Rodolphe Rougerie reports it in Burkina Faso and Gabon. Philippe Darge reports them in Congo Brazzaville: Ouesso.
Felix Stumpf reports it from Ivory Coast.
Ken Thorne image from Cameroon. It has also been reported from Ghana and Nigeria. I suspect ?? it would also be in Equatorial Guinea, including Bioko Island.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth flies in June in Burkina Faso. Jean-Louis Albert reports it on the wing in Gabon in October.
Micragone agathylla agathylla larval hosts are unknown.
Ken Thorne image, ventral, from Cameroon.

Micragone agathylla male, Cameroon, courtesy of Eric van Schayck, id by Thierry Bouyer.

Micragone agathylla male, Franceville, Gabon,
October 13, 2007, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Micragone agathylla male (verso), Franceville, Gabon,
October 13, 2007, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

In the male, the notched forewing apex is quite produced with a relatively smooth, deep, concave arc just below the apex, moderating to an almost straight outer margin meeting the inner margin at slightly more than a right angle. There are slight projections at the wing veins.

There is a golden, angular cell marking, and the body has a generous scattering of white hairs.

Micragone agathylla female, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

I expect females call and mate at night.
Micragone agathylla female, verso, 25km south of Lomie, Reserve du Dja, Cameroon,
400m to 800m, June 09-30, 2007, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner, id by Thierry Bouyer.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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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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.
Micragone comes from the Greek words for a small contest, according to Pinhey.
The reason for the species name, 'agathylla', is unknown to me.