Gynanisa murphyi
|
|
Updated as per personal communication with Rolf Oberprieler and Thierry Bouyer, 2004-2005, January 7, 2005
Updated as per personal communication with Thierry Bouyer, May 2006
|
Gynanisa murphyi
gye-nuh-NEE-suhMMUR-fee-eye
Bouyer, 2001
Gynanisa murphyi
male, courtesy of Thierry Bouyer.
This site has been created by
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelcom.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: Gynanisa, Walker, 1855
|
MIDI MUSIC
Wind Beneath My Wings
copyright C. Odenkirk
MIDI CITY
ON.OFF
<![CDATA[<bgsound src="wings.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>]]>
|
DISTRIBUTION:
The Gynanisa murphyi moth flies in
Tanzania,
Malawi
and Zimbabwe, Africa.
The species was named for
Ray Murphy and is very
similar to ata; it may in fact be the same moth according to Rolf Oberprieler.
Thierry Bouyer (2006) maintains
it is a valid species.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:
Gynanisa murphyi larvae
probably feed upon
Khaya nyasica, Brachystegia venosa,
Acacia, and Julbernardia. Moths are on the wing from December to March.
ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:
Eclosion is from a
subterranean pupa. Males fly around midnight,
the calling time of females.
EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:
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.
I do not know the source of Gynanisa, but it
probaly comes from some combination of the following: "gyn" is a Latin
prefix for woman. The Arabic "Anisa" (ah-NEE-sah)
means "friendly, congenial." The Hindi "Anisha" means "end of night."
Since "maja" is a common Hindi word, as are ata and jama, two other
species in the genus, I suspect there is a link in their choices even
though the species were determined in 1936 (maja), 1911 (ata) and 1915
(jama). The females of this species call around midnight, technically
the end of the night, the beginning of a new day.
The species name murphyi is honourific "for the English
Raymond Murphy, the famous specialist of Malawi. He also worked in
other African countries." (quote from Thierry Bouyer)
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.
Use your browser" Back" button to return to the previous page.
Return to Gynanisa Index
Return to Main Index