Actias selene
(Hubner, 1806)
Echidna (caudata) selene

Actias selene moth courtesy of Leroy Simon

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TAXONOMY: Superfamily Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Saturniini, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Genus: Actias, Leach, 1815

MIDI MUSIC "Moon River" copyright C. Odenkirk MIDI CITY ON.OFF <bgsound src="moon.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

Actias selene, the Indian Moon Moth, with a wingspan of six inches (males: 122-135mm; females: 130-170mm), flies in
northern India: Sikkim, Assam,
southern India as ssp tabrobanis,
Nepal: March-July,
Bhutan: common at elevations above 2500 m in W Bhutan, June-July; Mendrelgang, Tsirang District;
Bangladesh,
Ceylon,
Pakistan,
Afghanistan as ssp eberti,
Borneo as (selene vandenberghi),
northern Burma = Myanmar as subspecies malaisie which may be a synonym of ningpoana,
Malaysia as (selene vandenberghi),
Thailand (widespread above Isthmus of Kra),
southern China and to islands in eastern Asia. On the mainland it extends from the Amur River to ?? Japan.

In Laos, Cambodia, W Malaysia and the Greater Sunda islands of Sumatra it flies as subspecies vandenberghi and in Java as subspecies seitzi and in the Philippines as subspecies brevijuxta.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

The preferred foodplant is Rhododendron, but selene also accepts cherry and apple.
In its natural habitat this species is continuously-brooded with no winter diapause. Emergence occurs approximately three weeks after pupation.

Teemu Klemetti offers the following regarding flight on peninsular Malaysia: "I have only one observation, male, 6.00 am 2nd of May."

In Thailand it has been reported on the wing in March and July by Pinratana and Lampe. Choldumrongkul, Tubtim and Ratanachan report it flies year round with a peak flight in June.

Actias selene (female) courtesy of Leroy Simon.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the base of the abdomen to call in slightly smaller, but more brightly coloured, night-flying males. The wings of the male are falcate as opposed to the rounded wings of the female.

Visit Actias selene gynandromorph, India, courtesy of Philippe Brems, to see the contrast in wing size and shape.

Actias selene male, courtesy of Darrell Gulin copyright.

Actias selene male, courtesy of Darrell Gulin copyright.

After mating, females deposit 250-300 ova in small groups on host plants.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are medium-sized (2 mm) and slightly larger than A. luna. Basic colouration is white, and extensive black/brown mottling gives a rough look to eggs. Incubation lasts approximately two weeks, depending upon temperature.

Newly hatched larvae are red with a black abdominal saddle. The head is black and the first thoracic segment is black dorsally. Photo courtesy of Kurt Himmelbauer.

Second instar larvae are a brilliant red with black heads and raised black-blue scoli. Hairs arising from the scoli are particularly long upon the second and third thoracic segments. Photo courtesy of Kurt Himmelbauer.

In the third instar, larvae take on green body color with enlarged thoracic scoli "crowned with gold." Photo courtesy of Mario Ioppolo.

Fifth instar larvae are pale green, large (up to five inches/twelve centimeters) and fleshy with a translucent body. Four yellow tubercles, ringed with black, adorn the second and third thoracic segments. Spiracles are orange. Humid conditions are preferred. Photo courtesy of Leroy Simon.

Visit Actias selene male, female, fifth instar, Nepal, courtesy of Rainer Plontke.

Cocoons are papery, but large and tough, and are often wrapped in a leaf. Sometimes the larvae will descend the tree and spin up among grasses and litter.

Alan Marson has recorded cocoon/pupa weights of up to 14 grams.

Chilling (not freezing) of fall-formed pupae can be used to prevent eclosion until warmth is provided. Martin Jagelka reports fall cocoons kept in dark room at temperatures around 20 C (68 F) will result in diapausing pupae. Misting cocoons and bringing temperature back up to 27 C (80 F) will result in eclosions.

Pupae are large and of a pale chestnut colouration.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae and/or from personal communication (Taylor Jones, Prunus serotina) and (Matthew J. Campbell, Pyracantha). 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.

Alnus glutinosa Andromeda glaucophylla Andromeda ovalifolia Azadiracta indica Castanea Cedrala paniculata Cinnamomum camphora Corylus colurna Crataegus Hibiscus Juglans regia Lannea coromandelica Lawsonia alba Ligustrum Liquidambar styraciflua Mangifera Moringa oleifera Prunus amygdalus Prunus cerasus Prunus padus Prunus serotina (TJ) Pyracantha (MJC) Pyrus malus Quercus Rhododendron Rhamnus frangula Rhus laurina Salix babylonica Sapium sebiferum Syringa vulgaris Terminalia Zanthoxylum acanthopodium...... Zanthoxylum alatum

European/Black alder Downy bog-rosemary Bog-rosemary Persian lilac Chestnut Cedro/Spanish cedar Camphor Turkish hazel Hawthorn Mallow English walnut Lannea Indian privet privet Sweetgum Mango Horse-radish tree Almond Sour cherry Bird cherry Wild Black Cherry Firethorn Apple Oak Azalea Alder buckthorn Laurel sumac Weeping willow Chinese tallow-tree Lilac Assegai wood Prickly ash Prickly ash

Courtesy of Perti Perkinnen.

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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.