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Chinese Moon Moth

Actias ningpoana
Local Pest Control
Actias ningpoana
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Summary

Actias ningpoana, the Chinese moon moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by father-and-son entomologists Cajetan and Rudolf Felder in 1862. It is quite large, and has long, curved, hindwing tails. There are many congeners across Asia; the Luna moth (A. luna) of Eastern Canada and the United States is a close relative.

Chinese Moon Moth

Actias ningpoana
Local Pest Control

Tags

tree pest
garden pest
crop pest
pest

Scientific classification

kingdom: Animalia
phylum: Arthropoda
class: Insecta
order: Lepidoptera
family: Saturniidae
genus: Actias

Taxonomy

The taxon ningpoana Felder & Felder had been regarded as a subspecies of Actias selene until recently and was elevated to species level in Ylla et al. (2005).

Range

- China (Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Sichuan, Yunnan) (Zhu & Wang, 1996 ) - Russia (far east) (Zolotuhin & Chuvilin, 2009 ) - India- Western Ghats

Larva

Usually very fleshy with clumps of raised bristles.

Pupa

The pupa develops in a silken cocoon or in the soil.

Adult

Lacking functional mouthparts, the adult lifespan is measured in days. They have small heads, densely hairy bodies, and can have a wingspan ranging from 13 to 15 centimeters.

Host plants

In Hong Kong, A. ningpoana has been reared on camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) (Hill et al., 1982 as Arctias [sic] selene), sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana) (Barretto, 2004 ), Hibiscus, Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) and willow (Salix babylonica) (Yiu, 2006 )