DISTRIBUTION:

Rhodinia extremaustralis (wingspan; males: 117-120mm; females: mm // mfwl: 64-66; females: ??) flies in
Vietnam: Quang Ngai: Bato Mountain; Thua Thien Hue: Bach ma Mountain, at elevations from 950-1400m.

"Rhodinia extremaustralis resembles overall northern Vietnamese populations of the very similar Rhodinia newara Moore, 1872, but can be separated from that species by its more elongate, drop-like Fw. ocelli (versus larger, more triangular ones in Rh. newara), the generally smaller size, a more falcate Fw. apex, and details in male genitalia."

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Adults fly in October, (probably November) and December and likely lay eggs that overwinter.

It is anticipated that larvae will feed upon Cherry (Prunus) and Oak (Quercus) in captivity.

Rhodinia extremaustralis HT male (verso), Bato Mountain, Quang Ngai, Vietnam,
117mm, October 2014, 950m, courtesy of Stefan Naumann.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen to emit an airbourne pheromone into the night sky. Males fly into the wind, pick up the scent with their sophisticated antennae and track the female.

Females also have less falcate, more rounded upper wings.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

It is anticipated, due to flight season, that eggs overwinter. As of this writing, the female and larvae are unknown.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the anticipated foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Prunus ....... Quercus

Cherry Oak

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Return to Rhodinia Genus

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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

The genus name "Rhodinia" is from the name of the earth's first supercontinent, Rhodinia, which split into smaller continents at the time the earth was divided.

The species name "extremaustralis" is indiciative of a very southerly range compared to other members of the genus.