Actias maenas
AKT-ee-uhsMMEE-nas
Doubleday, 1847

Actias maenas (male) 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

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DISTRIBUTION:

Actias maenas (wingspan: males: 120-130mm; females: 150mm), also known as A. leto, hails from
Malaysia,
Burma = Myanmar,
Thailand: widespread: Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Nayok, to Hala Bala Wildlife Research Station in extreme southern Thailand (6 degrees north latitude);
Laos;
Vietnam: Tam Dao;
Borneo,
north-central India
and other areas of South-east Asia, including
the Greater Sunda Islands and
southeastern China: Yunnan, where the species is quite variable.

It is recorded for Nepal: June-July; and also in
southern central Bhutan: near Zhemgang, June, 650m; and in
Bangladesh.

Actias maenas male, Samtse, southwestern Bhutan,
courtesy of Sonam Dorji.

In Sundaland the nominate subspecies is replaced by subspecies diana.

Actias maenas, male, Assam, courtesy/copyright Victor Sinyaev.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Actias maenas larvae feed on cucumber tree, cider gum, and Java almond.

Robert Zaun has had great success on an unusual host plant, Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), for Actias maenas and Actias dubernardi.

Actias maenas fifth instars on Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas Fir, courtesy of Robert Zaun.

This species is reported on the wing in Thailand in August-September-October by Pinratana and Lampe, and throughout the year in southern Thailand (more abundant) by Choldumrongkul, Tubtim and Ratanachan.

Actias maenas male, courtesy of Steve Ife.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the posterior tip of the abdomen to call in night-flying males. The females have much shorter tails and less colouration than their male counterparts.

Actias maenas (female) courtesy of Leroy Simon

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Sticky, mottled, beize-gray eggs are deposited in small groups of four to eight on the underside of host plant foliage. Incubation lasts eight to twelve days. Images courtesy of Leroy Simon.

First instar larvae are orange-red with a black "saddle" and a black head and anal segment. Larvae feed in this instar for five to six days before going through first moult.

Skin colouration is green in subsequent instars which last 5-7 days, except for the longer final instar.

Larvae are quite impressive in final instar, especially with prominent anal-dorsal projection.

The cocoon is frequently spun-up in surrounding underbrush.

Actias maenas fifth instar, courtesy/copyright Kirby Wolfe.

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.

Adinandra dumosa Averrhoa bilimbi Canarium Castanea Eucalyptus gunnii Liquidambar styraciflua...... Pseudotsuga menziesii Quercus Rhus copallina Rhus glabra Rhus radicans Rhus typhina Schima wallichii Turpina pomifera Turpina sphaerocarpa

Adinandra Cucumber tree Java almond Chestnut Cider gum Sweetgum Douglas Fir (RZ) Oak Dwarf/Winged sumac Smooth sumac Poison ivy Staghorn sumac Schima Pomifera Pomifera

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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.

The Latin word "maenas" refers to a woman who took part in the "festivities" in honour of the wine god Dionysos in Greek mythology.

The genus name, Actias, probably comes from the Greek Actaeon, who is the hunter who had the misfortune of being torn to pieces by his own dogs after accidentally encountering the naked goddess Artemis. To punish him, Artemis splashed water on Actaeon and turned him into a stag.

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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.

ActiasMothsinThailand.pdf