''Bunaea alcinoe'', the cabbage tree emperor moth, is an African moth species belonging to the family

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

. It was first described by

Caspar Stoll Caspar Stoll (Hesse-Kassel, probably between 1725 and 1730 – Amsterdam, December 1791) was a naturalist and entomologist, best known for the completion of ''De Uitlandsche Kapellen'', a work on butterflies begun by Pieter Cramer. He also publis ...

in 1780.

Larva

The final

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

is about in length and about in diameter. "Ground colour deep velvety black; each somite, from 4th to 12th, bearing eight white/yellow tubercular processes, two subdorsally, two laterally, and four (in two rows) on each side subspiracularly. The 2nd somite bears four black processes, two subdorsally and two laterally. The 3rd somite bears 4 black processes, as in the 2nd, and two small yellow processes on each side, in line with the subspiracular processes on the other somites. Spiracles red; those on the 4th to 11th somites being surrounded by an irregularly shaped red area. Head and legs concolorous with body". (Fawcett).

Food plants

Species of the genera ''

Bauhinia ''Bauhinia'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Jo ...

'', '' Croton'', ''

Cussonia ''Cussonia'' is a genus of plants of the family Araliaceae, which is native to the Afrotropics. It originated in Africa and has its center of distribution in South Africa and the Mascarene Islands. Due to their striking habit, they are a consp ...

'' and ''

Celtis ''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is part of the extended hemp family (Cannabaceae). De ...

'' and the species ''

Harpephyllum caffrum ''Harpephyllum'' is a genus of trees in the family Anacardiaceae (the cashew and mango family). The sole species is ''Harpephyllum caffrum'', a dioecious evergreen species from South Africa and Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Rep ...

'' and ''

Ekebergia capensis ''Ekebergia capensis'' is a tree in the family Meliaceae. It is commonly known as the Cape ash. Its range extends from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Sudan and Ethiopia. It has been introduced onto Ascension Island Ascension Island is a ...

''. In the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

the larvae feed on ''

Sarcocephalus latifolius ''Sarcocephalus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It holds two species of shrubs or trees native to tropical Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both case ...

'', '' Crossopteryx febrifuga'' and ''

Dacryodes edulis ''Dacryodes edulis'' is a fruit tree native to Africa, sometimes called safou ( Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola), plum (Cameroon), atanga ( Equatorial Guinea and Gabon), ube (Nigeria), African pear, bush pear, ...

''.

Wings

The wings are covered by overlapping scales that are less than long and have a peculiar porous structure. This structure absorbs the echolocation sound of their predators, the bats, and thus helps them to camouflage themselves acoustically.

Name

In Greek mythology

Alcinoe Alcinoe (; Ancient Greek: Ἀλκινόη ''Alkinóē'') is the name that is attributed to three women in Greek mythology: *Alcinoe, a naiad, and one of the ''nymphai Lykaaides'' (nymphs of Mount Lykaios in Arkadia). Her parents possibly w ...

was the daughter of

Polybus of Corinth Polybus (Ancient Greek: Πόλυβος) is a figure in Greek mythology. He was the king of Corinth whose wife was variously referred to as Periboea, Merope or Medusa, daughter of Orsilochus. Mythology Polybus reigned over the city like a gent ...

. Alcinoe was also the name of a

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

, daughter of

Oceanus In Greek mythology, Oceanus (; grc-gre, , Ancient Greek pronunciation: , also Ὠγενός , Ὤγενος , or Ὠγήν ) was a Titan son of Uranus and Gaia, the husband of his sister the Titan Tethys, and the father of the river gods a ...

and Tethys.

References

*Distant, W. L. ''Insecta Transvaaliensia''. (Francis Edwards, London 1924) *Kroon, D. M. (1999) Lepidoptera of Southern Africa. Host-plants and Other Associations. A Catalogue. Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa, xi + 160 pp. *Latham, P. ''Edible Caterpillars and Their Food Plants in Bas-Congo Province, Democratic Republic of Congo''. (Mystole Publications, Canterbury 2003) *Rougeot, P.-C. (1962). Les Lépidoptères de l’Afrique noire occidentale. Fascicule 4. Attacidés, Saturniidés. IFAN – Dakar, 214 pp.

External links

''Bunaea alcinoe'' images
Saturniinae Moths of Africa Moths of Madagascar Moths described in 1780 {{Saturniidae-stub