DISTRIBUTION:

The Aurivillius oberthueri moth flies in Malawi (confirmed by Thierry Bouyer), southern Congo (possibly an error), Zambia and southern Tanzania.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Aurivillius oberthueri moths fly in December and probably in June-July.

Larvae probably feed on Silk tree (Albizia).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females scent and attract males at night by releasing an airbourne pheromone. Males fly in a zigzag pattern into the wind to pick up the pheromone plume with their antennae. Both sexes come to lights with males most common around midnight.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Eggs are a translucent yellow and are deposited in groups of 6-10 on foodplant leaves.

Mature larvae descend tree trunks to pupate in subterranean chambers.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are primary food plant and possible alternate food plants. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Albizia.......

Silktree

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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.

"Aurivillius" is the last name of Dr. Per Olaf Aurivillius, a famous collector of lepidoptera and coleoptera.

The species name, oberthueri, is honourific for Charles Oberthuer who built up an immense collection of lepidoptera.