Moths of Bhutan

Monday, 26 November 2012

Cossid Moths (Family: Cossidae) of Bhutan

Cossid Moths (Family: Cossidae) of Bhutan

Zeuzera multistrigata Moore, 1881

Xyleutes ceramica Walker, 1865

Xyleutes persona Le Guillou, 1864

Xyleutes sp.

Brahmin moths (Family: Brahmaeidae)

Brahmaea wallichii is a moth from the Brahmaeidae family, the brahmin moths. It is found in the north of India, Myanmar, China, Taiwan and Japan. The wingspan is about 160 mm (6.3 in). Wavy lines and alternating light and dark colors provide considerable camouflage on tree bark.

The larvae feed on Fraxinus excelsior, Ligustrum and Common Lilac. They are able to neutralize plant toxins produced by Ligustrum. The species is named after the botanist Nathaniel Wallich.

Brahmaea wallichii Gray, 1831

Taxonomical status

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Brahmaeidae

Genus: Brahmaea

Species: Brahmaea wallichii Gray, 1831

A single species of B. wallichii was collected by my student Sangay Wangmo, class VIII from the Girls' Hostel on 5th May 2012. So far from this family we have not collected and spotted any other species.Family Brahmaeidae is RARE in Mendrelgang, Bhutan.

Reference:

http://huffmantaxidermy.com/oehlke/BrBramophthalmawalwal.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmaea_wallichii

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

A preliminary checklist of Saturniidae (Wild Silk Moths) from Mendrelgang, Bhutan

Saturniidae

The family is commonly known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the moths. They form a family of Lepidoptera, with an estimated 2,300 described species worldwide. The Saturniidae include such Lepidoptera as the giant silk moths, royal moths and emperor moths. (Source: Wikipedia).

The checklist provided here is the saturniids collected from the Mendrelgang, Tsirang district of Bhutan. It is located at approximately 27°02’ N 90°10’E at an altitude between 700–1750m ASL.

The survey of moths was conducted to commemorate the completion of "100 years of Modern Education in Bhutan" by the teachers (I Jatishwor Singh & Meenakshi Chib) and students of Mendrelgang Middle Secondary School. During the survey large numbers of moths were collected which belongs to different different families and genera.

Here presents the checklist of saturniids along with the photographs and their common names, which were collected during the survey.

Family: Saturniidae (11 species, 8 genera)

1. Actias parasinensis Brechlin 2009 WESTERN CHINESE MOON MOTH

2. Actias selena Hubner 1806 INDIAN MOON MOTH

3. Antheraea (Antheraeopsis) pernyi Guerin-Meneville 1855 OAK – TASSAR SILK MOTH

4. Antheraea (Antheraeopsis) assamensis Helfer 1837 MOGA SILK MOTH

5. Archaeoattacus edwarsii White 1859 EDWARDS’ ATLAS MOTH

6. Attacus atlas Linnaeus 1758 ATLAS MOTH**

7. Cricula trifesnestrata Helfer 1837 THREE-WINDOWED CRICULA

8. Loepa katinka Westwood 1847 PLAIN GOLDEN-EMPEROR MOTH

9. Loepa sikkima Moore 1865 DARK- GOLDEN EMPEROR MOTH**

10. Samia canningii Hutton 1859 WILD ERI SILK MOTH