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Updated as per Pinhey's Emperor Moths of South and South-Central Africa, 1972, April 5, 2006 Updated as per Bouyer's Catalogue of African Saturniidae, 1999, April 5, 2006 Updated as per Butterflies and moths of Kakamega Forest, (Kenya), Naumann in Kühne (2008); November 2010 Updated as per personal communication with Ryan Saint Laurent (Cornell University Colection, Mazabuka, Zambia, B. l. thyene); July 21, 2013 |
This site has been created by
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
Wind Beneath My Wings |
Thierry Bouyer adds Democratic Republic of the Congo to the list, but he excludes Tanzania and Kenya.
It most assuredly also flies in People's Republic of the Congo: possibly Bambari, Ouaka (NV).
Bunaeopsis licharbas?? male, Bambari, Ouaka, Republic of Central Africa,
June 2005, courtesy of Nigel Voaden,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
Bunaeopsis licharbas?? male, Bambari, Ouaka, Republic of Central Africa,
June 2005, courtesy of Nigel Voaden,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
The following images from the Cornell University collection were identified as Bunaeopsis licharbas thyene. I do not know if that moth has been synonymized with licharbas, remains a subspecies of licharbas or has been elevated to full species status. The male and female from Zambia seem to lack the pinkish suffusions in the median area, and the forewing ocelli seem different from the other specimens listed as licharbas on this page.
Bunaeopsis licharbas thyene male, Mazabuka, Zambia,
Cornell University Collection, courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent,
slight digital repair and tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
Bunaeopsis licharbas thyene female, Mazabuka, Zambia,
Cornell University Collection, courtesy of Ryan Saint Laurent,
digital repair and tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
Bunaeopsis licharbas larvae feed on leguminous plants in the wild and on oak and willow in captivity.Shiny, grey-white, often slightly irregular eggs, resembling plump tomatoes, are deposited in clusters on host foliage. Image courtesy of Rodolphe Rougerie. |
leguminous plants....... | leguminous plants |
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Bunaeopsis licharbas male, Elliott Pinhey, on my home computer only.
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 genus name Bunaeopsis, indicates a similarity ('opsis' = looks like) to the Bunaea genus. That name is from the Greek and refers to a lobed hill-dweller.
The species name licharbas means "with a steep angle" and refers to the angulation of the inner forewing line.