Actias isis
AKT-ee-uhsMEYE-sihs
(Sonthonnax, 1897 ["1899"])

Actias isis courtesy of Chris Conlan.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke.
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: Saturniini, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Genus: Actias, Leach, 1815

DISTRIBUTION:

The Actias isis moth (wingspan: approx. 130mm) flies in
Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Visit Actias isis habitat and wild male and reared female, courtesy of Gary Saunders.

Actias isis male, courtesy of Gary Saunders

Actias isis female, courtesy of Gary Saunders

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Larvae have been successfully reared on Malus sylvestris and on Salix. Alan Marson reports some success on Eucalyptus gunnii, but not all larvae would accept it.

Jurgen Vanhoudt writes, April 2, 2014: "New hostplants for Actias isis: Rosa (wild rose) and Ligustrum. I am currently breeding this species on these two plants. Those on Rosa seem to be happier and are growing faster. I will send some pictures later."

Gary Lane reports a successful rearing experience, utiliziing sumac as the host plant.

Actias isis cocoons, reared on sumac, courtesy of Gary Lane.

Actias isis pair, courtesy of Franz Ziereis copyright.

Actias isis male, unusually dark, Sulawesi, courtesy of Gary Saunders.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the posterior tip of the abdomen to call in night-flying males. The females have much shorter tails and less colouration than their male counterparts.

Actias isis female, South Sulawesi, Puncak Palopo, 1300 m.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae exhibit typical green colouration of most of the Actias species. Image courtesy of Chris Conlan.

Actias isis eggs, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis hatchlings, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis hatchling, Sulawesi,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Actias isis first instars, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis second instar on Rosa, Sulawesi,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Actias isis third instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis third instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fourth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fourth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fourth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis cocoons, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis cocoons, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Actias isis female, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants from personal communication (Franz Ziereis, Alan Marson, Jurgen Vanhoudt, Gary Lane.

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.

Eucalyptus gunnii (AM) Ligustrum (JVH) Liquidambar styraciflua............... Malus sylvestris Rhus (GL) Rosa (JVH) Salix

Cider gum Privet Sweetgum European crabapple Sumac Rose Willow

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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 species name "isis" comes from mythology where Isis is an ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, the sister and wife of Osiris.

The genus name, Actias, probably comes from the Greek Actaeon, who is the hunter who had the misfortune of being torn to pieces by his own dogs after accidentally encountering the naked goddess Artemis. To punish him, Artemis splashed water on Actaeon and turned him into a stag.