Urota zambiensis
Updated as per Wiki Species, January 4, 2014
Updated as per personal communication with Nigel Voaden (Sakania, southeastern DRC, January 2014); August 18, 2014

Urota zambiensis
you-ROH-tuhMzam-bee-EN-sihs
Darge, 2011

Urota zambiensis male, Zambia: Sanje Region: Mfwanta, February,
on my home computer only.

Urota zambiensis male, Sakania, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
January, 31, 2014, courtesy of Nigel Voaden,
id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

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: Urota, Westwood, 1849

MIDI MUSIC

"African Midi Music"
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DISTRIBUTION:

Urota zambiensis (wingspan: males: 77mm; females: mm) flies in
Zambia: Sanje Region: Mfwanta (near Mumbwa in Central Zambia).

Urota zambiensis male, December 8, 2009,
Jonathan McCalled, id by Bill Oehlke.

I believe it also flies in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on the following image from the Yale Peabody Museum.

Urota zambiensis male, tentative id by Bill Oehlke,
Elizabethville (Lubumbashi), Democratic Republic of the Congo,
courtesy of Yale Peabody Museum.

The images from Sakania, DRC, via Nigel Voaden, also support a presence in southeastern Democratc Republic of the Congo.

Forewings appear quite orange with some dark grey/black suffusions in the interneural post median area. Heavy white scaling outlines the black am and pm lines which are joined by a white bar along the inner margin. The cell marking is a very small white dot.

The hindwing basal-median area is reddish with a relatively small white dot close to the white median band. There appears to be some grey in the male's tail, which extends almost in a straight line with the lower portions of the outer margin.

With the advent of DNA barcoding analysis in 2008, hundreds of "new species" have been designated from the thousands of Saturniidae specimen samples submitted for examination.

The Urota Comparison plate provides a series of images in close proximity with some notes to hopefully help me and others with determinations. I do not have images of all species available for public display, but perhaps the locations and descriptions will help other viewers.

Almost all of the specimens with new designations existed in collections under the label of Urota sinope, and they are quite similar in appearance to sinope. I am not sure if Urota sinope is limited to southern Africa, being replaced by similar species in more northern locales, or if sinope flies in most of Africa, possibly even existing in the same habitats with the cryptic species. Perhaps some of the look-alikes will be synonymized, either with each other or with sinope.

Additional submissions of digital images with as much data as possible should help to improve the accuracy of this website. Verso images may also prove to be very helpful with determinations. All submissions are greatly appreciated, and all photos remain the property of respective photographers.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in February, and there are probably flights in other months as well. Nigel Voaden images and data support a late January flight in southeastern DRC.

Urota zambiensis larvae possibly ?? feed upon various Erythrina species (Coral tree), Laburnum (Bean tree), Robinia pseudoacacia (Black locust/False acacia) and Sclerocarya caffra (Wild mango).

Urota zambiensis male, Zambia: Sanje Region: Mfwanta, February,
on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males, which are slightly smaller than females, use highly developed antennae to track the airbourne female pheromone at night.

Males also have tail-like extensions on the lower wings.

Urota zambiensis female, Sakania, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
January, 26, 2014, courtesy of Nigel Voaden,
id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Larvae pupate underground.

Larval Food Plants

Listed below are possible ?? food plant(s) based on those used by closely related species.

Elysistemon
Erythrina abyssinica
Erythrina caffra
Erythrina lysistemon
Erythrina tomentosa.....
Eucalyptus
Laburnum
Robinia pseudoacacia
Sclerocarya caffra

Coral tree
Coral tree
Coral tree
Coral tree
Coral tree
Eucalyptus
Bean tree
Black locust/False acacia
Wild mango

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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.

According to Pinhey, 1972, "Urota" means "tailed ear" or ear-shaped tail.

The species name, "zambiensis" is indicative of a specimen type locale in Zambia: Sanje Region: Mfwanta.