DISTRIBUTION:

Parusta xanthops (wingspan: males: 50mm; females: 50-60??mm) flies in
Tanzania: Mpwapwa (type locality); Central Serengeti NP, Arusha (DB); and in
Uganda.

Thierry Bouyer indicates it probably also flies in
Kenya.

Minetti Robert reports them from the Ruaha National Parc, Iringa Region, at 912m in Tanzania, taken on December 06, 2006. I am not sure if this report is a confirmation of xanthops or thelxinoe as there was some confusion in earlier postings.

I think (am not sure) that xanthops flies west of the eastern most mountains in Tanzania and Kenya, and that thelxinoe flies on the eastern slopes of those same mountains, northward into eastern Ethiopia.

Parusta xanthops has much more white in the post median areas of all wings when compared to the darker, greyer, similar but slightly larger species, Parusta thelxinoe. The prevalence of white in the marginal areas is also evident on the ventral surfaces of both males and females

Parusta xanthops female, verso, on my home computer only.

Parusta thelxinoe male (darker species), verso, on my home computer only.

Visit Parusta Comparison Plate.

Parusta xanthops male, 50mm, on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Parusta xanthops adults probably?? fly in December (confirmed for December)-January-February.

David Bygott reports a mid October flight in Central Serengeti NP, Tanzania.

Parusta xanthops (male), from Thierry Bouyer's Catalogue of African Saturniidae 1999

Parusta xanthops female, Central Serengeti NP, Arusha, Tanzania,
October 14, 2017, courtesy of David Bygott.

Parusta xanthops female, eastern Tanzania, courtesy of Andreas Riekert.

Parusta xanthops female, 50mm, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Parusta xanthops pair, Central Serengeti NP, Arusha, Tanzania,
October 14, 2017, courtesy of David Bygott.

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.

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The genus name Parusta might be for the similarity (brown and white) to the genus Usta which means "burnt" in Latin.

The species name "xanthops" means yellowish and may refer to the rings of the eyespots or the yellowish cast to the wings.

Parusta xanthops pair, (originally sent to me as thelxinoe) courtesy of Andreas Riekert.