DISTRIBUTION:

Argema besanti (wingspan: males: 73-77mm; females: probalby larger) flies in
northern and eastern Kenya (700-1400m);
southern Ethiopia; and
western Somalia in dry habitat.

The body and wing veins are white, and there is a white band on the emerald green forewings, outwardly contrasted by a wide red-brown band. The outer margin/fringe shows similar, narrower white and red-brown lines.

The Jan Hellert drawing, above, is a great match for the image of this moth in D' Abrera's Saturniidae Mundi III.

Argema besanti male, Kenya: Eastern Province, collected by local people,
77mm, courtesy of Dave T. Rolfe.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in April, and possibly in other months.

Larvae feed on Commifora mollis, Eucalyptus, Juglans regia, Liquidambar, Sclerocarya caffra and Spirostachys africana.

Argema besanti male, eastern provinces of Kenya,
73mm, April, 700-1400m, courtesy of Stefan Naumann,
on my home computer only.

ECLOSION:

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in males by emitting air-bourne pheromones at night.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Cocoons are white and airy and hang from branches by a strong peduncle.

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.

Commifora mollis Eucalyptus Juglans regia Liquidambar Sclerocarya caffra Spirostachys africana........

paper tree Eucalyptus English walnut Sweetgum Wild mango Sandalwood/Tambootie

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

The genus name comes from the Greek word 'argema", meaning a cataract in the eye. This is probably meant to be descriptive of the thick rings around the eyespots of these moths.

The species name "besanti", is honourific for the German discoverer, Captain Besant, who found the moth to the north of Kilimanjaro (Pinhey, 1972).

Argema besanti , D'Abrera, on my home computer only.