Ludia delegorguei
LOO-dee-uhMdeh-leh-GOR-gyoo-eye
(Boisduval, 1847) (Saturnia)

Ludia delegorguei female, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Micragonini Cockerell in Packard, 1914 (1902) Genus: Ludia, Wallengren, 1865

MIDI MUSIC "Moon River" copyright C. Odenkirk ON.OFF <bgsound src="moon.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>

DISTRIBUTION: Ludia delegorguei, Delegorgue's Prince (wingspan: males: 35-40mm; females: 45-70mm), is widely distributed in South Africa; Namibia; Botswana; and Zimbabwe; Mozambique, and probably extends into eastern Africa: Malawi. There is very little to go by to distinguish between female Ludia delegorguei and female Ludia goniata. I think the specimen at top of page may be L. goniata.

Thierry Bouyer reports the moth in Tanzania, and that seems to be confirmed by the female immediately below.

Ludia delegorguei female, Lake Manyara, Arusha, Tanzania,
February 2009, 1230m, courtesy of David Bygott, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Adults fly mid-December to February where there are single generations. In eastern South Africa there are sometimes 2-3 generations from August until April.

Larvae feed on Coast Siler Oak (Brachylaena discolor), Wild Camphor Bush (Tarchonanthus camphoratus), Trailing Daisy (Microglossa mespilifolia) and species of Vernonia

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Calling females successfully attract males in the early morning and late afternoon; thereafter females begin flying and ovipositing shortly after dusk. The day-flying males have a very rapid and erratic flight and are difficult to capture on the wing. Females come in to lights readily.

The forewings of the male have a very pronounced yet blunt apex.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are deposited in single arching rows of 4-8 in clusters of up to sixty eggs on the undersides of foliage or on twigs or stems. Larvae, developing to 6cm., are solitary through all stages and curl up, exposing urticating spines, when disturbed. There are several different colour forms.

Larvae descend the host plant at pupation time and spin up a thin cocoon in leaf litter near the base of hostplants. Sometimes they spin a leaf-wrapped cocoon.

Listed below are primary food plant(s) and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidaeor on various internet sites. 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 Brachylaena discolor Brachylaena rotundata Microglossa mesoiloides Microglossa mespilifolia Robinia pseudoacacia Salvia runcinata Senecio deltoides Syringa vulgaris Tarchonanthus camphoratus..... Tarchonanthus minor Uapaca kirkiana Vernonia natalensis Vernonia oligocephala

Acacia Coast Silver Oak Brachylaena rotundata Microglossa Trailing Daisy Locust Sage Ragwort Lilac Wild camphor Tarchonanthus Wild loquat Ironweed Ironweed

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

"Ludia" is from the Latin word for player and may have been chosen for the erratic (playful), daytime flight of the males.

The species name "delegorguei" is honourific for Adulphe Delegorgue (early 1800's), a French zoologist/explorer (Pinhey).

Ludia delegorguei male, Cooper and Cooper, my home computer only.

Ludia delegoruei male, Elliot Pinhey, my home computer only.

Ludia delegorguei female, Cooper and Cooper, my home computer only.

Ludia delegoruei female, Elliot Pinhey, my home computer only.

Ludia delegroguei larva from Pinhey's
Emperor Moths of South and South-Central Africa, 1972,
on my home computer only.