Bunaeopsis macrophthalma
Updated as per Bouyer's Catalogue of African Saturniidae, 1999, April 5, 2006
Updated as per SATURNIDES DE COTE D'IVOIRE (SCI), S.HERDER, X.LERY, G.FEDIERE, NKKOUASSI, 1989; September 29, 2010

Bunaeopsis macrophthalma
bewe-nay-OPS-ihsMmagh-krof-THAL-muh
(Kirby, 1881) (Antheraea)

Bunaeopsis macrophthalma male, Basse Santa Su, Gambia,
August 5, 2008, courtesy of Jon Baker,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Bunaeopsis macrophthalma courtesy of Jean-Michel Maes.

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
Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834
Tribe: Bunaeini, Packard, 1902
Genus: Bunaeopsis, Bouvier, 1927

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DISTRIBUTION:

Bunaeopsis macrophthalma (spelling checked by Rolf Oberprieler) flies in Burkina Faso (Rodolphe Rougerie), Africa.

The Natural History Museum reports it from Goldkiiste (Ghana).

SCI lists it from Ivory Coast: Korhogo (June). It probably also flies in southern Mali and in Guinea.

Bouyer lists Bunaeopsis macrophthalmus as Incertae sedis. The image to the right, courtesy of Dr. Linda K. Barnett, is from Gambia. Tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Bunaeopsis macrophthalma larvae probably feed on broad-leafed grasses and reeds.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosion is from underground pupae.

Both sexes fly at night with the males coming in to lights around midnight, the scenting time of the females.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Larvae pupate under soil near base of trees.

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. 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 macrophthalma means "large eyes" and refers to the large eyespots on the hindwings.