Usta terpsichore grantae
EWE-stuhMterp-SIK-eh-reeMGRANT-ay
Terral & Lequeux, 1991

Usta grantae (male), Tanzania, courtesy of Eric van Schayck.
http://www.saturniidae-mundi.de/Oschayck/schayck.htm

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Superfamily: Bombycoidea Latreille, 1802 Family: Saturniidae Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Subfamily: Saturniinae Boisduval, [1837] 1834 Tribe: Urotini, Packard, 1902 Genus: Usta, Wallengren, 1863

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DISTRIBUTION:

Usta subangulata grantae flies in Tanzania.

Usta terpsichore, Serengeti, Tanzania, late December, courtesy of David Bygott.

David writes, December 30, 2006, "I found this in acacia woodlands, Serengeti, Tanzania, last week."

I only know it is one of the Usta species. In his Catalogue of African Saturnidae, Thierry Bouyer writes, "Usta terpsichore was regarded a group of related species by Darge (1994) et Terral & al. (1991). These taxa are listed here under terpsichore, as their status is not confirmed."

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

The Usta subangulata grantae moth probably flies in January-February and again in September-October.

Larvae probably prefer Marula ( Sclerocarya birrea) and Corkwoods (Commiphora species), but likely also accept California Peppertree (Schinus molle) and Chinaberry (Melia azedarach).

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Adults pair at night.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Small eggs are deposited in one cluster on a hostplant twig.

Initially larvae are gregarious but become more and more solitary as they develop.

At pupation time, larvae descend tree trunks to pupate in underground chambers.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the possible foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Commiphora caryaefolia..... Commiphora woodii Melia azedarach Schinus molle Sclerocarya birrea Sclerocarya caffra

Corkwood Forest Corkwood Chinaberry California peppertree Marula Sclerocarya

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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.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The genus name Usta means "burnt" in Latin.

The species name "terpsichore" is that of the Greek muse of dancing, Terpsichore.

I do not know the reason for the subspecies name, "grantae", but it may be honourific for a woman named Grant.