Loepa obscuromarginata
Naumann, 1998

Loepa obscuromarginata male, courtesy of Alan Marson

Loepa obscuromarginata male, courtesy of Viktor Sinjaev.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Saturniini, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Genus:Loepa, Moore, 1860

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DISTRIBUTION:

The Loepa obscuromarginata moth flies in Guangxi province, Dayiao Mts., Jinxiu, and also in Guangdong, China. It has also been recorded in the provinces of Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Henan.

Loepa obscuromarginata (male), China, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Loepa obscuromarginata is signifiacantly larger than L. sinjaevi, and the forewing ocellus is tangent to the costa for about 1/5 of its circumference. The much smaller L. sinjaevi has a forewing ocellus that is slightly separated from the costa.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

I suspect this species has multiple broods. Theere is at least one flight in August and September, confirmed by GNNNR. Cissus, grape and Virginia creeper would likely prove to be suitable hosts.

Loepa obscuromarginata, male, courtesy of Martin Jagelka.

Loepa obscuromarginata, female, courtesy of Martin Jagelka.

Loepa sinjaevi (left) and Loepa obscuromarginata males (right),
courtesy of Viktor Sinjaev.

Loepa sinjaevi (left) and Loepa obscuromarginata females (right),
courtesy of Viktor Sinjaev.

Of the larvae depicted below, Alan Marson writes, "They are feeding on Parthenocissus tricuspidata, what we call "Boston Ivy" in the UK. They refused Cissus and my Grape Vine is not yet in leaf.

I notice that some contributors are referring to Parthenocissus as "Woodbine". In the UK "Woodbine" is a common name for wild Honeysuckle (Lonicera). The best Parthenocissus for feeding larvae here is P cinquefolia which is commonly referred to in the UK as 'Virginia Creeper'".

Virginia creeper is very easy to start from cuttings.

Loepa obscuromarginata female, courtesy of Alan Marson

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females, whose forewings lack the wider darker outer margins of the males, call at night. Males, with their more falcate wings, fly into the wind and track the pheromone plume with their sophisticated antennae.

Loepa obscuromarginata male, courtesy of Alan Marson

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae, typical of Loepa, are dark with lighter triangular patches on the sides as they move into third instar.

First instar courtesy of Alan Marson.

Second instar courtesy of Alan Marson.

Third instar courtesy of Alan Marson.

Alan sent me a series of fourth instar larval images. The pose, with the head and thorax stretched forward, reminds me somehow of Chinese dragons. The body is beginning to take on some bulk in this image.

Loepa obscuromarginata fourth instar, courtesy of Anatolij Kulak.

Loepa obscuromarginata fifth instar, courtesy of Anatolij Kulak.

Dr. Kulak reports good success with larvae on Vitis and Parthenocissus. He writes, "I have given the some Cissus antarctica and C. rhombifolia. Result - 100% death rate."

Loepa obscuromarginata, fifth instar, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Loepa obscuromarginata, mature fifth instar, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Loepa obscuromarginata, Sikangdong, 1600m; Ruyuan, East Guangdong,
courtesy of Franz and Julian Renner

Loepa obscuromarginata, cocoons, courtesy of Alan Marson.

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.

Parthenocissus tricuspidata ...... Vitis

Boston Ivy Grape

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