DISTRIBUTION:

The Ludia tessmani moth (wingspan: males: ??: females: approx. 63mm) flies in Uelleburg, Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Cameroon; Democratic Republic of the Congo; and probably in People's Republic of the Congo: (confirmed in Ouesso, (SA#8)).

Ludia tessmani female, Franceville, Gabon, September 28, 2006,
wingspan 63mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Jean-Louis Albert indicates they fly in Gabon in September. There may be additional flights.

Ludia tessmani larvae probably feed on plants in the Zingiberaceae family.

Ludia tessmani female (verso), Franceville, Gabon, September 28, 2006,
wingspan 63mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

These moths are relatively small and day-flying males have falcate forewings. The somewhat larger females call during the day, but oviposit at night (beginning probably in early evening). Their forewings are slightly produced at the apex but are not falcate.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE AND COCOONS:

Eggs are probably deposited in single rows of 4-8 on the undersides of foliage.

Larvae, developing to 6cm., are solitary through all stages and curl up, exposing urticating spines, when disturbed. Larvae descend the host plant at pupation time and spin up a thin cocoon at the base of hostplants

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.

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 "tessmani" is honourific for Tessman.