DISTRIBUTION:

Usta angulata (wingspan: 70-80mm) flies in Mombassa, Kenya. Pinhey indicates it is from drier areas of northern Kenya. Thierry Bouyer confirms it in Kenya and also indicates it flies in Tanzania.

BOLD Systems shows it flying in Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia.

All Leps Barcode of Life shows it flying in Kenya, west northwest of Mombasa and due south of Makindu in southeastern Kenya, with a range slightly further south into northeastern Tanzania, probably in Tanga.

U. angulata has a forewing pm line that is sinuous as in U. terpsichore, but the "toothing" is much more irregular.

Usta angulata male, All Leps Barcode of Life.

Usta angulata male, All Leps Barcode of Life.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

The Usta angulata moth probably flies in January-February.

Larvae probably prefer Marula ( Sclerocarya birrea) and Corkwoods (Commiphora species), but likely also accept California Peppertree (Schinus molle) and Chinaberry (Melia azedarach).

Usta angulata female, All Leps Barcode of Life.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adults pair at night.

Usta angulata male (verso), All Leps Barcode of Life.

Usta angulata (verso), All Leps Barcode of Life.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Small eggs are deposited in one cluster on a hostplant twig.

Initially larvae are gregarious but become more and more solitary as they develop.

At pupation time, larvae descend tree trunks to pupate in underground chambers.

Usta angulata larva, courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie.

Larval Food Plants

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

Commiphora caryaefolia..... Commiphora woodii Melia azedarach Schinus molle Sclerocarya birrea Sclerocarya caffra

Corkwood Forest Corkwood Chinaberry California peppertree Marula Sclerocarya

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 Usta means "burnt" in Latin.

The species name "angulata" might refer to the unevenly angular projections of the forewing postmedian line. Pinhey indicates it refers to the angled lines on the wings.

Usta angulata on my home computer only.

I do not know if the above moth is Usta angulata but it has the very irregularly toothed and unevenly curved pm line mentioned by Pinhey. It also has a thorax with a yellowish "wedge" of scales, outlined with black and then white.