Gynanisa maja

Last updated

Gynanisa maja
Day 82 Speckled Emperor (Gynanisa maja) male ... (53391967981).jpg
Gynanisa maja 181777867.jpg
Adult male and caterpillar
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Gynanisa
Species:
G. maja
Binomial name
Gynanisa maja
(Klug, 1836)
Synonyms
  • Saturnia majaKlug, 1836
  • Saturnia isisDuncan [& Westwood], 1841
  • Anacalaespina tataWallengren, 1858
  • Gynanisa nigra

Gynanisa maja, the speckled emperor or chipumi, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug in 1836. It is known from South Africa to eastern Africa (up to Angola and Zambia). [1] Gynanisa nigra is just a darker form and not a distinct species.

The wingspan is 105–113 mm. Adults are on wing from late December to early February.

Larvae have been recorded on Acacia erioloba , Acacia karroo , Acacia mollissima , Berlinia paniculata , Brachystegia venosa , Cassia , Colophospermum mopane , Elephantorrhiza burchelli , Julbernardia , Laburnum , Peltophorum , Prunus persica , Pterocarpus , Quercus gambelii , Quercus robur , Quercus turneri , Robinia pseudoacacia and Schotia . Early instar larvae are gregarious.

The larvae serve as an important human food source. [2] See Entomophagy.

Related Research Articles

<i>Acacia</i> Genus of plants

Acacia, commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about 1,084 species of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australasia, but is now reserved for species mainly from Australia, with others from New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. The genus name is Neo-Latin, borrowed from the Greek ἀκακία, a term used in antiquity to describe a preparation extracted from Vachellia nilotica, the original type species.

<i>Satyrium ilicis</i> Species of butterfly

Satyrium ilicis, the ilex hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The bearded woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has a distinctive black and white head and brownish barred body. It is native to tropical central Africa. It has an extremely wide range and is a fairly common species, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". Some taxonomic authorities place this species in Dendropicos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohol bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The Mohol bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae which is native to mesic woodlands of southern Africa. It is physically very similar to the Senegal bushbaby, and was formerly considered to be its southern variety. The two species differ markedly in their biology however, and no hybrids have been recorded in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanbark</span> Tree bark used for tanning

Tanbark is the bark of certain species of trees, traditionally used for tanning hides into leather.

<i>Cometaster</i> Genus of moths

Cometaster is a monotypic moth genus of the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1913. Its only species, Cometaster pyrula, the faint owl moth or ying-yang moth, was first described by Carl Heinrich Hopffer in 1857.

<i>Axiocerses tjoane</i> Species of butterfly

Axiocerses tjoane, the eastern scarlet, common scarlet or scarlet butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in East and southern Africa.

<i>Axiocerses amanga</i> Species of butterfly

Axiocerses amanga, the bush scarlet, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Ectoedemia suberis</i> Species of moth

Ectoedemia suberis is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in France, Corsica, Sardinia and North Africa. It has not been recorded from mainland Italy.

<i>Chloroselas pseudozeritis</i> Species of butterfly

Chloroselas pseudozeritis, the brilliant gem, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Africa.

<i>Anthene definita</i> Species of butterfly

Anthene definita, the common ciliate blue or common hairtail, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Africa.

<i>Anthene otacilia</i> Species of butterfly

Anthene otacilia, the Otacilia hairtail or Trimen's ciliate blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, found in Africa.

<i>Uranothauma nubifer</i> Species of butterfly

Uranothauma nubifer, the black heart or black-heart branded blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Ethiopia to South Africa. It is also found in eastern Zaire.

<i>Charaxes anticlea</i> Species of butterfly

Charaxes anticlea, the small flame-bordered charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.

<i>Charaxes baumanni</i> Species of butterfly

Charaxes baumanni, the little charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of open forests and woodland.

<i>Anthene crawshayi</i> Species of butterfly

Anthene crawshayi, Crawshay's hairtail or Crawshay's ciliate blue, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The habitat consists of savanna and open forests.

<i>Chiasmia simplicilinea</i> Species of moth

Chiasmia simplicilinea is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa and in Ivory Coast & Madagascar.

<i>Heniocha dyops</i> Species of moth

Heniocha dyops, the marbled emperor, is a moth of the family Saturniidae First described by J. Peter Maassen in 1872. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania.

<i>Tetralobus flabellicornis</i> Species of beetle

Tetralobus flabellicornis, the Giant Acacia Click Beetle, is a species of click beetle belonging to the family Elateridae.

<i>Xylosandrus crassiusculus</i> Species of beetle

Xylosandrus crassiusculus, known generally as the Asian ambrosia beetle or granulate ambrosia beetle, is a species of tropical bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is native to Asia and has spread to Africa, Europe, Australasia and the Americas. The adult beetle is reddish-brown and some 2 to 3 mm long.

References

  1. "Gynanisa maja". Silkmoths. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  2. Mbata, K.J. (2003). "Traditional values of caterpillars (Insecta : Lepidoptera) among the Bisa people of Zambia". Insect Science and Its Application. 23 (4): 341–354.