TAXONOMY:Superfamily Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
"Moon River" |
Based on a recent (March, 2009) publication by Ron Brechlin, where new species Actias parasinensis is described, those specimens previously reported from Laos and Vietnam as A. sinensis are probably A. parasinensis. A. parasinensis has slightly longer tails, a larger basal area on the forewing, and a fw pm line that is straight, not slightly outwardly curved around the cell. I believe all specimens on this page are true A. sinensis.
This species is listed as Actias chinensis in Moths of Guangdong Nanling National Nature Reserve.
Actias sinensis pair, courtesy/copyright Leroy Simon
Kelly Price reports specimens taken in Vietnam at elevations of 1400m in April.
GNNNR reports them on the wing in March-April and July-August in Nanling National Nature Reserve in Guangdong, China.
Actias sinensis female, Dak Nong, Vietnam,
100mm, 1400m, April 5, 2008, courtesy of Kelly Price.
Actias sinensis female, Dak Nong, Vietnam,
108mm, 1400m, April 5, 2008, courtesy of Kelly Price.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:The female (above) is less colourful than the male (right) and extends a scent gland from the posterior tip of her abdomen to call in a night-flying mate.Males use well developed antennae to track the pheromone. Actias sinensis male, China, courtesy of Thibaud Decaens. |
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Pairing is sometimes brief. Mario Ioppolo reports a two hour coupling from 9:00 pm until 11:00pm. Bob Vuattoux also reports pairings can be brief.
Visit Actias sinensis male and female, China, courtesy of Horst Kach.
Visit Actias sinensis males and female, courtesy of Darrell Gulin.
Eggs are deposited in small groups on host plant foliage. In the final instar larvae are green and chunky with a prominent anal, dorsal projection. Image courtesy of Leroy Simon. |  |
Here is a set of images of instars 1-4 sent to me by Jan Hellert:
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Actias sinensis fifth instar, courtesy of Dominique Ades.
Visit Actias sinensis male and female, Guangxi, China, 1800m, courtesy of Mike Jordan.
Liquidambar formosana..... |
Formosa gum |
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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 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. There is an Asian species named
Actias artemis.
