DISTRIBUTION:

Rhodinia rudloffi (wingspan 112-130mm) flies in North Vietnam: Fansipan-Giberge.

Rhodinia r. rudloffi male HT, Vietnam: Tonkin: Mount Fan Si Pan,
courtesy of Ronald Brechlin.

The moth is named in honour of Jan-Peter Rudloff, Roßlau, Germany.

Moths previously depicted on this page have been moved to R. r. sinensis page as that subspecies name has been assigned to the populations in southern China.

The nominate subspecies (forewing length: 65-71mm) is larger than Rhodinia r. sinensis (forewing length: 51-62mm).

Rhodinia r. rudloffi male (verso) HT, Vietnam: Tonkin: Mount Fan Si Pan,
courtesy of Ronald Brechlin.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Adults fly in the fall and lay eggs that overwinter.

Larvae feed upon Cherry (Prunus) and Oak (Quercus) in captivity.

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:

Eggs overwinter.

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.

Prunus ....... Quercus

Cherry Oak

Return to Main Index

Return to Rhodinia Genus

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.

The genus name "Rhodinia" is from the name of the earth's first supercontinent, Rhodinia, which split into smaller continents at the time the earth was divided.

The species name "rudloffi" is honourific for Jan-Peter Rudloff, of Roßlau, Germany.

On my computer only, visit Rhodinia notes, Brechlin 2007.