DISTRIBUTION:

Actias parasinensis (forewing length: males: 47-58mm; females: 53-65mm), hails from
Bhutan: 2 km E Chendebji at elevation of 2320m, July 27-August 15; Mendrelgang, Tsirang District;
northeastern India: Assam: Nameri National Park at elevation of 150m, July 24-August 2,
Thailand,
Laos,
Vietnam, and
southwestern China: Xizang (Tibet): Linzhi area.

Actias parasinensis male, southeastern Tibet, Linzhi area,
courtesy of 'Huwei-BeetlesofChina2011'.

Actias parasinensis male, southeastern Tibet, Linzhi area,
courtesy of 'Huwei-BeetlesofChina2011'.

"The following taxa now belong to the sinensis-group (in chronological order of description):
Actias sinensis (forewing length: males: 40-55mm) WALKER, 1855 syn.: heterogyna MELL, 1914 syn. nov.‡ forma virescens MELL, 1950 [infrasubspecific];
Actias sinensis subaurea KISHIDA, 1993;
Actias laotiana TESTOUT, 1936;
Actias angulocaudata NAUMANN & BOUYER, 1998;
Actias australovietnama BRECHLIN, 2000;
Actias parasinensis BRECHLIN, 2009."

A. parasinensis has longer and narrower hindwing tails than does A. sinensis. There are other distinguishing characters, such as slightly larger basal area and very straight pm line, given in ENTOMO-SATSPHINGIA.

Previous reports of A. sinensis from outside of China are probably of A. parasinensis.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Actias parasinensis larvae feed on sweetgum (Liquidamber styraciflua) and Cider Gum (Eucalyptus gunnii) in the lab. There is a July-August flight and there are probably additional flights in March-April and in June-July and October (SD).

Actias parasinensis female, Pemagatshel, Bhutan,
700m, October 2012, courtesy of Sonam Dorji; also reported in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Actias parasinensis female, southern Tibet, Linzhi area,
courtesy of 'Huwei-BeetlesofChina2011'.

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.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larval Food Plants

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.

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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 "parasinensis" refers to the similarity between this species and A. sinensis.

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.

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On my home computer only: notes on Saturniidae of Bhutan by Ronald Brechlin (in English) as published in Entomo-Satsphingia 2 (1): 47 – 55 (March 2009)

The actual hardcopy editions of Entomo-Satsphingia may be purchased via the link to the left.

Actias parasinensis male, central Bhutan, on my home computer only.