DISTRIBUTION:

Salassa cottoni (forewing length: males: 63-71mm; females: 66-69mm) flies in northern Myanmar:

Sagaing State (N), E Ngalung Ga, SEE Kumki (India), Tarung Hka river fork, 1 km E Hkasi village, 1000m;
Kachin State, Chudu Razi Hills, 30 miles E Kawnglangphu, July 19, 2007;
Chin State, ca. 1 km NW Thaing-gnin, way to Tiddim, May, 2160m, in primary forest with single cuts;
Chin State, Kennedy Peak, summit near pagoda, May, 2690 m, open grassland with Rhododendron & Quercus forest areas;
Chin State, ca. 1,5 km W Hakha, May, 2260 m, secondary forest/agricultural area;
Chin State, Natma Taung National Park, road Mindat (Matupi, 20 and 30 miles camp), May, 2350-2495 m;

Males are orange brown dorsally with a darker maroon ventral surface where there is a generous suffusion of white scaling in the basal area and the inner half of the median area of all wings. There is also some white suffusion on the outer half of the brighter gray brown subterminal area. The forewing apex is slighty produced into a short point.

The forewing cell marking is a small drop-shaped, transparent, greenish window, with a small black marking in the upper right of the "window". The am line is grayish white and turns strongly toward the body near its midpoint. The pm line is dark, narrow, relatively diffuse and evenly notched. There are some small hyaline dots as it approacches the inner margin. This line is outwardly bordered by a lighter orange band and then a wide dark brownish-grey subterminal band.

On the hindwing, the am/pm line is a continuous grey-black band/arc, relatively wide above the bean-shaped ocellus which is black outwardly, having a small greenish, translucent inner portion.

Below the ocellus, as the line approaches the inner margin, there is a series of translucent spots, connected via the thin, white outer tracing of the line.

Salassa cottoni male (verso), Sagaing State (N),
E Ngalung Ga, Tarung Hka river fork, 1 km E Hkasi village,
May 30, 2008, 1000m, courtesy of Stefan naumann.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in May, June and July, and possibly in other months.

Larvae have been reared to at least fourth instar on Prunus padus (Rosaceae).

Females begin responding to lights around 9:30pm. Males fly in shortly thereafter.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Calling time for females probably begins around 10:00pm.

Salassa cottoni female, Myanmar (West), Chin State,
May 2001, ca. 4 km NW Thaing-gnin, way to Tiddim, 2310 m,
courtesy of Stefan Naumann.

Salassa cottoni female (verso), Myanmar (West), Chin State,
May 2001, ca. 4 km NW Thaing-gnin, way to Tiddim, 2310 m,
courtesy of Stefan Naumann.

The female, dorsally is more greenish-gray-orange. Her wings are more rounded but the forewing apex still ends in a short, pointed projection. The am line is white and turns strongly toward the body at its midpoint. The forewing ocellus is much larger than in the male and it approaches a heart-shape with a small black spot in its upper "cleavage", suggested by the black spot.

The hindwing ocellus is bean-shaped with its outer 40% black. The ocellus is traced in thin black with a slightly wider outer tracing in white.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae spin loose cocoons near the ground amongst loose debris.

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.

Prunus padus .......

Bird Cherry

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The species name, "cottoni" is honourific for Adam Miles Cotton, in gratitude/appreciation for supply of many Saturniidae from southeast Asia and his hospitality while in Thailand. The European Entomologist, Vol. 2, No. 3{4}, pp 93-122, on my home computer only.