Decachorda fulvia
Updated as per T. Bouyer's Catalogue, 1999, April 2, 2006
Updated as per E. Pinhey's Emperor Moths os South and South-central Africa, April 2, 2006

Decachorda fulvia
dek-uh-KORD-uhmmFUL-vee-uh
(Druce, 1886) (Lechenopteryx [sic!])
the original generic name is actually Lichenopteryx
RO

Decachorda aspersa (or fulvia ??) male, Rwanda, courtesy of Eric van Schayck

TAXONOMY:

Superfamily: Bombycoidea Latreille, 1802
Family: Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Saturniinae Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Tribe: Micragonini Cockerell in Packard, 1914 (1902)
Genus: Decachorda, Aurivillius, 1898

MIDI MUSIC

"Moon River"
copyright C. Odenkirk

ON.OFF
<bgsound src="moon.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION:

The Violet Speckled Roundwing, Decachorda fulvia (forewing length = 24-29mm), (tentatively) flies in Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe and probably in Zambia, Malawi and Burundi. Pinhey indicates it has also been taken in Cameroon.

The males are orange-yellow with a diffuse, purplish outer line that may be straight or slightly curved.

The specimens depicted on this page and identified as aspersa do not have the purplish outer margins described by Pinhey as characteristic of aspersa. Hence, I have included them on this page as well. The Cooper and Cooper drawing shows a yellower moth with a more diffuse (wider) outer line.

Decachorda fulvia male, sorry, image not available.

Decachorda fulvia male, sorry, image not available.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

I do not know the flight season of this moth.

Decachorda fulvia larvae feed on broad-leafed lawn grasses.

Decachorda aspersa (or fulvia ??) female, Rwanda, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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.

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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.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The genus name Decachorda means ten chords and may refer to the number of veins on the forewing.

The species name "fulvia" comes from the Latin word for tawny, refering to the ground colour of the male.

Decachordia fulvia male, Cooper and Cooper, on my home computer only.