DISTRIBUTION:

The Gynanisa westwoodi moth flies in Africa, probably in
Tanzania: near Morogoro; and
Kenya.

Thierry Bouyer writes (April 2005), "G. westwoodi inhabits the
northern part of Tanzania south to at least Morogoro,
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
north eastern Congo,
Kenya: Kakamega Forest and
Ethiopia
(probably also Uganda)."

Gynanisa westwoodi male, Tanzania, near Morogoro,
400m, November 16, 2007, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti.

Rolf Oberprieler writes (March 2005), "The Gynanisa from the Acacia tortilis woodland is G. westwoodi Rothschild. I’ve reared the same species from Kenya many years ago, and the larva on your photos looks identical. The taxonomy of the East African Gynanisa is chaotic, but I think there is only one common savannah species in that area. The oldest name for this one is G. westwoodi, and I have a photo of the holotype, which agrees very well with the specimen on your photo (as with mine)."

Thierry Bouyer (April 2005) writes, "G. minettii is a synonym with jama not with westwoodi. Gynanisa westwoodi and Gynanisa jama are two closely allied species (vicariant=different)."

It may be several years before all of this is sorted out to everyone's agreement.

I (Bill Oehlke) personally have seen more variation among polyphemus, even in my own backyard, than I see between jama, westwoodi and minettii. I think much more material probably needs to be examined in a collaborative method. This will be difficult with entomologists so far apart and material so scarce. Most now (2006) accept that minettii is the same as jama.

I think I read that there were more than a dozen Actias luna subspecies recognized before Ferguson, 1972, synonymized them all. I see great differences between overwintering lunas from cold climates and third and fourth brood stock from summer areas, but when you bring them together, there is no difficulty with pairings and the multi-brooded summer stock from the south quickly becomes univoltine when reared in the north, taking its cues from the enviroment. Northern, univoltine stock, quickly becomes multivoltine when reared with additional light and warmth.

Chris Conlan has also informed me that high altitude Rothschildia species appear quite different when reared at significantly lower elevation.

I will be very interested to learn of develpments with Gynanisa and many other African genera over the years.

G. westwoodi, more likely jama, Tanzania, courtesy of David Bygott.

Gynanisa westwoodi males, Tanzania, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Teemu Klemetti reports a November flight near Morogoro, Tanzania.

Gynanisa westwoodi larvae probably feed upon Khaya nyasica, Brachystegia venosa, Acacia, and Julbernardia.

NiK (2008) reports them on Acacia mearnsii.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Eclosion is from a subterranean pupa. Males fly around midnight, the calling time of females.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

These larvae were probably feeding on Acacia tortilis.

Larvae descend trees to pupate in subterranean chambers.

Gynanisa westwoodi (more likely jama) from Acacia tortilis woodland, Tanzania, courtesy of David Bygott.

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 westwoodi is honorific for Westwood.

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.

Acacia Acacia mearnsii Acacia tortilis Brachystegia venosa..... Julbernardia Khaya nyasica

Acacia Black Wattle Umbrella thorn Msasa Mnondo Nyasaland mahogany

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