The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler

The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler. Rolf Oberprieler; Ekogilde Hartbeespoort, South Africa 1995. ISBN 095838892X / ISBN 0-9583889-2-X

The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler. Rolf Oberprieler; Ekogilde Hartbeespoort, South Africa 1995. ISBN 095838892X / ISBN 0-9583889-2-X

The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler. Photo: Gynanisa maja (Klug). a: male, Windhoek; b: 5th-instar larva, Nylstroom, South Africa

The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler. Photo: Gynanisa maja (Klug). a: male, Windhoek; b: 5th-instar larva, Nylstroom, South Africa

As the Namibian fauna includes many widespread species, but also some of the rarest localized ones, Rolf Oberprieler's book, The Emperor Moths of Namibia, will certainly be welcomed by both amateurs and professionals.

Rolf Oberprieler  

Gynanisa maja (Klug); Speckled Emperor
German: Graugesprenkeltes Nachtpfauenauge

DIAGNOSIS and VARATION: Wingspan: male 110-130mm, female 105-125mm. Characterized by dense greyish-black speckling on forewings and large, ringed eyespots on rusty field on hindwings; males with very large, feathery antennae. Quite a variable species, but in Namibia fairly uniformly grey, rarely with brownish shades. Larva up to 90mm long; green with dense fine speckling of white, magenta-and-yellow lateral stripe and 4 prominent silver spines on each segment. Complement of silver spines reduced in some populations so that only some or no segments at all have spines, but in Namibia usually fully developed. Closest relatives G. ata Strand from eastern Zimbabwe and south-central Africa and G. jama Rebel from Kenya.

DISCOVERY and DESCRIPTION: Described in 1836 by J.C.F. Klug of the Zoological Museum in Berlin from South Africa, probably the eastern Cape Province. First recorded from Namibia in 1910 by Grunberg. Form macromaja described by Embrik Strand in 1920 from a male from Windhoek and a female from Tanzania, but these are only large and dark specimens and do not represent any distinct population or taxon. Namibian population sometimes referred to as G. nigra Bouvier (Pinhey 1972), which was described as a dark variety of G. maja from Zimbabwe and represents the northern populations of G. maja, but is not a distinct species or even a distinct form.

DISTRIBUTION: Widely distributed in southern Africa as far north as Angola and Zambia but absent from the south- western arid and winter rainfall regions. In Namibia recorded from around Windhoek, Outjo, Etosha, south-eastern Kaokoland and Kavango, presumably ocurring throughout the northern central region.

BEHAVIOUR and LIFE CYCLE: Both sexes active at night, the males only flying around midnight. Eggs laid in clusters of about 12 on leaves of foodplant, characteristically sparsely covered with reddish-brown scales from the female's abdomen. Larvae at first reddish-black and gregarious, later instars green and solitary; on underside of leaf stems and twigs and extremely well camouflaged. Pupation quite deep (200mm) in the soil. Moths flying late December to early February; larvae fully grown March to April. Generally only 1 generation per year, perhaps 2 in Kavango as in South Africa.

FOODPLANTS: In Namibia Camel Thorn {Acacia erioloba) (Windhoek) and Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) (Outjo, Etosha), but also other acacias and other leguminous trees in South Africa.

This is an excerpt from the book: The Emperor Moths of Namibia, by Rolf Oberprieler.

Title: The Emperor Moths of Namibia
Author: Rolf Oberprieler
Publisher: Ekogilde
Hartbeespoort, South Africa 1995
ISBN 095838892X / ISBN 0-9583889-2-X
Hardcover, dustjacket, 19x25 cm, 104 pages, numerous colour photos

Oberprieler, Rolf im Namibiana-Buchangebot

The Emperor Moths of Namibia

The Emperor Moths of Namibia

The Namibian fauna includes many widespread and rarest species of the Emperor Moths.

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