Pseudaphelia apollinaris
soo-duh-FEEL-ee-uhmmuh-pol-lin-AIR-ihs
(Boisduval, 1847) (Saturnia)

Female Pseudaphelia apollinaris on Turraea.

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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: Urotini, Packard, 1902 Genus: Pseudaphelia, Kirby, 1892

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DISTRIBUTION: The Apollo Emperor, Pseudaphelia apollinaris, (wingspan: males: 50-55mm; females: 55-65mm) is distributed from coastal Natal and eastern Transvaal in South Africa and in Namibia northwards into Botswana, Zimbabwe and eastern Africa: Mozambique, Malawi. This species is sometimes taken in eastern Namibia near Katima Mulilo and Caprivi in the extreme northeast. Julius Busingye also reports it from Uganda. Teemu Klemetti indicates it may fly in Tanzania. Thierry Bouyer confirms it in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania: Arusha: Tarangire; and Kenya.

Robert Westphal image

T. Bouyer equates paleacea Herrich-Schaeffer, balamoal, Guerin-Meneville, 1849, flavomarginata, Gaede 1915 and dialitha Tams, 1930 with apollinaris.

Cooper and Cooper confirm that the orange-yellow form (paleacea) will emerge from the same parents as the typical white form.

A recent paper by Darge & Kilumile, however, distingusishes P. flavomarginata, Gaede, 1915, from P. apollinaris. Pinhey, 1972 indicates flavomarginata has continuous yellow margins.

Pseudaphelia apollinaris, Kruger National Park, South Africa,
November 27, 2007, © Arno Meintjes

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS: Pseudaphelia apollinaris adults fly in February and March in Namibia where there is but a single generation. David Bygott reports a January flight in Tanzania. Flights are extended in other areas where there are as many as three-four generations. In Kwa-Zulu Natal, Cooper and Cooper report it very common in October-November with moths on the wing September-February and also in April. The Zambezi Honeysuckle Tree (Turraea zambesica) and other Turraea species serve as host plants for larvae. This species is honoured on a Mozambique postage stamp.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Calling females successfully attract males during the day, mainly in the late afternoon, but also in the morning. Both sexes come in to lights at night.

Pseudaphelia apollinaris male, Tarangire, Arusha, Tanzania,
January 2010, courtesy of David Bygott.

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Pseudaphelia apollinaris male (verso), Tarangire, Arusha, Tanzania,
January 2010, courtesy of David Bygott.

David Bygott writes, "I'm just back from a month in Tanzania, however I only managed to find one Sat in about 2 weeks of light trapping. It is one I've never seen, from acacia woodland in Tarangire in the Maasai Steppe. Attached are dorsal and ventral views. It was very hard to make him open his wings, I had to blow hard on him to take that picture, he prefers to close them butterfly style. I think he is Pseudaphelia, but can you say which sp?"

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Small, yellowish ova are deposited in tiered clusters on the undersides of foliage. Incubation is often complete within 5-6 days, and hatchlings can reach maturity in thirteen days.

Larvae, developing to 4.5cm., are semi-gregarious in all instars. Larvae develop extremely rapidly and are aposematically coloured suggesting they are unpalatable. The head is black and there is a stout black horn above the anal claspers.

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae. 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.

Combretum Turraea floribunda Turraea heterophylla..... Turraea nilotica Turraea obtusifolia Turraea zambesica

Red wings Wild Honeysuckle Turraea Bushveld Honeysuckle Small Honeysuckle Zambezi Honeysuckle tree

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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.

The word Pseudaphelia means 'false sun' in Greek and probably refers to the daytime flight of the males or to the yellow "suns" in the cells and outer margins.

The species name, 'apollinaris', means "sacred to Apollo" (Pinhey). Apollo is the Sun God.

Cooper and Cooper indicate the common name derives from the similarity of this moth to the Apollo butterfly.