Rhodinia grigauti
Le Moult, 1933

Rhodinia grigauti male

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Saturniini, Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Genus: Rhodinia, Staudinger, 1892

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DISTRIBUTION:

Rhodinia grigauti (wingspan 120-130mm) flies in
northern Vietnam;
northern Thailand;
Laos;
Myanmar; and
China: Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong and Hunan.

This moth is/was synonymous with Rhodinia newara, according to Ron Brechlin, 2001.

Now, 2010, recognized as distinct from newara, based on DNA barcoding analysis, by Brechlin and Meister.

Current thinking is that newara is restricted to northern India (Sikkam, Assam) and Bhutan.

Rhodinia grigauti, Vietnam, courtesy of Victor Sinyaev of Russia, via Yuri Berezhnoi

The above image was sent as Rhodinia rudloffi, which may be correct, but I believe they are Rhodinia grigauti.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS: Larvae feed upon Acer saccharum, Crataegus, Juglans regia, Salix babylonica and Salix elegans. Robert Westphal lists the pictured specimen as Rhodinia grigauti from China, Yunnan Province. They moth was collected in November 2004. I do not know for sure which spelling is correct, but Dr. Ronald Brechlin lists it as Rhodinia grigauti. It may, in fact, be Rhodinia rudloffi, showing much less dark scaling on all wings and distance between the hindwing ocellus and the postmedian line.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen to emit an airbourne pheromone into the night sky. Males fly into the wind, pick up the scent with their sophisticated antennae and track the female.

Females also have less falcate, more rounded upper wings.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Rhodinia grigauti first instar on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Rhodinia grigauti second instar (fresh) on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Rhodinia grigauti second instar (late) on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Rhodinia grigauti third instar on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Rhodinia grigauti fourth instar on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Rhodinia grigauti fifth instar on Crataegus, Vietnam,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

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.

Acer saccharum Crataegus Juglans regia Prunus padus (FR) Salix babylonica..... Salix elegans

Sugar maple Hawthorn English walnut European Bird Cerry Weeping willow Willow

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