Antheraea larissa
Updated as per Nassig's commentary on Heterocera Sumatrana, 1996, Volume Ten Saturniidae; April 2009
Updated as per Heterocera Sumatrana, 1996, Volume Ten Saturniidae; April 2009
Updated as per personal communication with Victor Sinyaev (larvae on Birch, Betula); September 3, 2012
Updated as per Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 7 Heft 01 20.01.2014 (Java only); March 14, 2015

Antheraea larissa
an-THIR-ay-uhMluh-RIS-suh
(Westwood, 1847)

Antheraea larissa male.

Antheraea larissa larissa male, Tanakuban Perahu, West Java,
May 2005, JD Holloway image.

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Tribe: Saturniini, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Genus: Antheraea, Hubner, 1819

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DISTRIBUTION:

Antheraea larissa flies in lowland rainforests in
Jawa (Java): West Jawa Province, Banten Province, Central Jawa Province, and East Jawa Province.

It is replaced by subspecies A. larissa ridlyi in Sumatra: Kotapinang, Gn. Malayu, Sindar Raya, Langkat, Aek Tarum, Prapat, Huta Padang, Sarolungan, Bukit Subang, ENE Padang, Air Sirah, Lampung: E. Liwa at elevations from sea level to 1300m; and
Borneo;
Peninsular Malaysia (Tho Yow Pong); and
Myanmar.

There is significant disagreement/confusion regarding A. larissa and the subspecies/species that have evolved from its original association. Its range in increased substantially if one adheres to Nassig's comments in red (a couple of skips below):

Burma = Myanmar;
Thailand;
Philippines.

Brechlin & Meister, 2014, recognize only nominate larissa from Java, and subspecies larissa ridlyi from Borneo, peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and southern Myanmar. They also recognize a subspecies from Palawan, Philippines as larissa palawarissa, with similar full species from other Philippines Islands being either mindanarissa from Mindanao; visayarissa from Panay, Leyte, Samar; philippirissa from Luzon; negrorissa from Negros; mindoroensis from Mindoro.

Visit Antheraea larissa larissa Subgroup Comparison Plate.

This orange, pink and yellow moth has highly crenulate wings, and the ocellus in the forewing has a characteristic anterior hook directed toward the body.

Visit Antheraea ridleyi for additional images as "subspecies ridleyi" may be the same as nominate larissa.

"In a recent publication (Paukstadt, U., Paukstadt, L.H., & Brosch, U. (2000): Taxonomische Änderungen bei den Taxa des Antheraea-larissa-Komplexes (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). — Entomol. Z. 110 (3): 71–72) U. Paukstadt et al. published the opinion that a) the Philippine (except Palawan) larissa should belong to a separate species, mindoroensis, with two subspecies (mindoroensis and philippirissa), and b) the Javanese and Neomalayan populations of larissa should belong to two different subspecies, larissa (on Java/Bali) and ridleyi (other area). The publication did not supply any illustrations nor detailed descriptions nor a reliable diagnosis to prove that opinion. Based on the little data delivered within that paper we cannot adopt this hypothesis. The variability both in genitalia morphology and in wing pattern and colouration is so high under the different insular populations of larissa s.l. that we still believe that it cannot be proven on the morphological basis alone that the Philippine and the Sundanian larissa belong to different species. Therefore, we prefer to deal with the Philippine populations as subspecies of larissa for the time being (as published by us in 1998). In addition, we do have some doubt that it really was justified to separate ridleyi from larissa; in contrast to other Javanese Saturniidae and Brahmaeidae the differences in the “larissa-complex” between Java and Neomalaya are only minor. — In any case, it might well be possible that there are genetically fixed relevant (i.e., of subspecific of specific rank) differences between some of the insular populations of the “species-complex” of larissa; but we think that this cannot be shown with external and genitalia morphology of such variable taxa alone; this can only be demonstrated reliably by biochemical or genetical studies." Nassig Commentary

I live in an area (Montague, Prince Edward Island, Canada) where there are healthy populations of both Hyalophora cecropia and Hyalophora columbia. I have reared thousands of larvae of both species over the years and I overwinter breeding stock and also operate lights to call in gravid females of all local Saturniidae and Sphingidae. I have personally taken male and female wild/natural hybrids of the two Hyalophora at my lights. The hybrid females look like large columbia, but carry no developed eggs. The hybrid males are intermediate in size and have only a hint of the the red lines typical of cecropia.

I have reared hybrids of male columbia and female cecropia. This occurs when the female cecropia placed in outdoor breeding cages fail to pair before midnight, stop calling, resume calling near dawn, and thereby attract wild male columbia, which also respond to calling female columbia which only call near dawn.

Resulting hybrid offspring are vigorous, and larvae reach sizes intermediate between cecropia and columbia. The hybrid cocoons are distinct from both cecropia and columbia. I have never had a hybrid female cecropia x columbia emerge that carried developed eggs. The hybrid females will call, however, and attract wild columbia at dawn. The male hybrids, natural and bred, have proved sexually viable with pure cecropia, although the few times I have tried rearing the progeny of such a cross, the results have been mixed.

I offer the lengthy digression above to offer what I feel may be one of the causes of the extreme variability encountered amongst various populations of A. larissa, which is known to have multiple broods throughout its distribution. I suspect, with the great number of other Antheraea species which fly at the same time and in same place as larissa, that much natural hybridization occurs, and that hybrid males may in fact be able to transmit a genetic mix through pairings with possibly several other Antheraea species.

I would hope that someday, someone will take calling females into the regions in question, place the females in inaccessible cages, and document the times at which males respond to the calling females. If males of various species respond, then I have no doubt there is substantial gene mixing. It would also be great if some hybrid pairings were obtained and stocks were reared through to adulthood.

I do not know if dna analysis is sufficient to sort out hybridization effects.

I also am very much aware that the Antheraea polyphemus populations across the United States and Canada have some populations that are remarkably consistent in size differences based on locale. When moths from the two different (size difference) locales are paired, offspring are vigorous in all stages, crossed males and females are sexualy viable and females carry fully developed eggs that show no ill effects for future generations. There is also considerable variation within locale populations with regard to colouration of both adults and larva.

In further commentary Nassig offers the following: "Recent research (e.g., U. & L.H. Paukstadt 1999, U. Paukstadt et al. 2000a, 2000b) delivered support that the fauna of the Saturniidae and Brahmaeidae of Java and Bali appears to be much more distinct from the Neomalayan fauna than expected by earlier authors (e.g., Nässig et al. 1996). However, the differences between Javanese and Neomalayan Antheraea larissa were demonstrated only very weakly by U. Paukstadt et al. (2000c).

"As there was at least in the most recent glaciations no long time difference between the split-off from Sundaland of Java and Bali on one side and Borneo and Sumatra on the other side (the time span for the world-wide post-glacial increase of the sea-level was probably only a few centuries or even decades!), the difference in faunal composition between Java/Bali and Neomalaya must be explained in a different way. One important difference is the climate; Java and Bali show a distinguished seasonal climate, while Neomalaya is more of a perhumid tropical climate without distinctive seasons. Therefore, at least present-day evolutionary pressure on Java/Bali is different from that on Neomalaya. The genetic exchange for less mobile bombycoid species (such as Saturniidae, Brahmaeidae etc.) would be interrupted by the sea level rising for only some thousand years now (mobile species probably still do have genetic interchange within Sundaland!); all these present-day islands became separated by sea only about 8000–10,000 years ago. This time span is probably too short for the evolution of species-specific differences in Saturniidae. Thus, there must have been isolation mechanisms established much earlier than the end of the last glaciation preventing gene-flow between Javanese/Balinese species and Neomalayan species, e.g., possibly by large rivers and swamps between Neomalaya and Java/Bali, surely in combination with the differences in climate.

"The model of the “peripherical isolates” (stressed, e.g., by Nässig & Treadaway 1997, 1998 or U. & L.H. Paukstadt 1999) should, therefore, better be seen against the background of longer time spans than only ten thousand years (at least it was definitively seen in this way by myself in 1997/1998). — It should be assessed whether morphological differences between present-day insular populations of closely related “subspecies” or “species” might be explained by climate-dependant modification alone or by genetically fixed differences, and further, if there are any relevant genome differences, they should be studied into more detail (best using alloenzymes or DNA analyses) to find a time-scale for the separation of the different populations and assess the extend of the genetical separation.

"The climatical differences are gradual and clinal; the seasonality is already developed in southern Sumatra (especially in the provinces of Bengkulu and Lampung, see map) and becomes much more expressed across Java and Bali from the West to the East. Differences which are considered as being of species-specific or subspecific quality should therefore be studied into more detail along this distance from S. Sumatra to Bali on basis of larger material from several localities each."

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in West Java in July and September-October at elevations from 1170-1250m. There may be additional flight months. Antheraea larissa larva feed on Shorea glauca (Dipterocarpaceae). Victor Sinyaev has indicated that hatchling larvae have begun feeding on birch (Betula).

Antheraea larissa larissa male (verso), Tanakuban Perahu, West Java,
May 2005, JD Holloway image.

Antheraea larissa ridlyi ?? male, Cambodia, 166mm, courtesy of Bill Garthe.

The image of the Antheraea larissa posted above courtesy of Bill Garthe was listed (perhaps innacurately by seller) as being from Cambodia. This would represent an expansion of the larissa complex into that country. The specimen might be nominate larissa, larissa ridlyi, or an unnamed subspecies.

I note the forewing apex seems less truncated than in other larissa or larissa ridlyi images, and the forewing outer margin seems more oblique than in other subspecies in that complex. Bill Oehlke

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females, which are darker and have wider and more rounded wings, attract the night flying males with an airbourne pheromone.

The anterior hook above the ocellus is less noticeable in the females, whose ocellus is much larger than that of the males. Males seem to come to lights much more readily than females.

Antheraea larissa female

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Antheraea larissa larvae are bright green, with sparsely scattered pale yellow setae. There are small blue spots above and below the spiracle on each segment. Large silvery patches, edged with dark brown, on the second and seventh segments surround the spiracles. Scoli on the dorsal surface are reduced to shining golden spots; the head is brown; there is a short, central green horn on the eighth abdominal segment.

There is a darker subdorsal band on each side, broadening into a reddish triangular, polyphemus-like area over the anal clasper. The spiracles are surrounded in yellow and edged with dark brown.

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.

Betula (VS)
Shorea glauca......

Birch
Sal

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