DISTRIBUTION:

Antheraea gschwandneri (wingspan: males: 100-125mm; females: 128-140mm)
flies in Borneo: lowland forest (Ulu Temburong, Brunei; Tawau, Sabah; lowlands of G. Mulu, Sarawak) and upper montane zone of G. Kinabalu and Bukit Retak;
Thailand, Sumatra and
probably in lowlands in Malaysia.

In Myanmar (Burma) it is found in Karen State; Tenasserim Range.

In his 2001 paper, Stefan Naumann indicates myanmarensis is a junior synonym of gschwandneri, but he later indicates (to me Martch, 2009) gschwandneri is a distinct species.

This relatively small Antheraea is distinguished by its strongly curved forewing apex, wing pattern and colour combination of yellow and violet-brown.

The following image, courtesy of Stefan Naumann does not show the yellow apex, and it may well be the only true gschwandneri on this page, however Anteraea species males and females do tend to show considerable variation..

Violet brown suffusions in post median area of all wings may be a consistent character.

Antheraea gschwandneri male, 101mm, 7km past Labi, Brunei, Borneo,
March 13, 2002, courtesy of Stefan Naumann,
digital repairs to left side which was then copied to right side by Bill Oehlke

Nassig indicates the specimens (1-3) depicted on Plate 5 of Die Saturniidae der Cameron- und Genting-Highlands in West Malaysia, Lampe, 1984, as A. celebensis are actually Antheraea gschwandneri.

Nassig also indicates the specimens depicted in Holloway's Moths of Borneo, 1976, as A. celebensis are actually Antheraea gschwandneri.

Unfortunately no good images of Antheraea gschwandneri were available to W. Nassig at the time of his corrections. He was correct that the moths in question are not A. celebensis, but neither are they gschwandneri. Dr. Stefan Naumann was able to locate a specimen of gschwandneri in Vienna (Museum). He indicates (March 24, 2009) that gschwandneri probably does not fly in western Malaysia highlands, but may be present in lowlands. He also indicates that the misidentified specimens are A. broschi and A. steinkeorum.

Hence, the image (below) I had tentatively identified as a female A. gschwandneri from Cameron-Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, courtesy of Kelly Price, is more likely a female of A. platessa, A. steinkeorum or A. broschi.

Antheraea myanmarensis = gschwandneri ?? female.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Antheraea gschwandneri flies in June and July and August (KP). In Malaysia it has been recorded on the wing in February, April, August, November-December. This species probably broods continuously.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use highly developed antennae to detect female scent which is distributed into the wind. Males fly into the wind in a zigzag pattern to detect the pheromone and subsequently locate the female.

Antheraea gschwandneri ?? female.

Antheraea gschwandneri ?? female, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia,
August, 2002, wingspan: 137.7mm, courtesy of Kelly Price,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke; more likely steinkeorum, platessa or broschi.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS 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.

Return to Antheraea Genus

Return to Main Saturniidae Index

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.

"Antheraea" is derived from either the Latin "anthra" referring to pollen held in the anther (top part of stamen = male part of flower) or from the Greek feminine of "anthros" meaning flowery. There may be a link to the large and feathery antennae which distinguish many of the males of this genus.

The species name, gschwandneri, is honourific for Robert Gschwandner of Vienna.

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