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.[1] 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.
The taxon ningpoana Felder & Felder had been regarded as a subspecies of Actias selene until recently [3] and was elevated to species level in Ylla et al. (2005).[2]
Usually very fleshy with clumps of raised bristles.
The pupa develops in a silken cocoon or in the soil.
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.
In Hong Kong, A. ningpoana has been reared on camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) (Hill et al., 1982[5] as Arctias [sic] selene), sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana) (Barretto, 2004[6]), Hibiscus, Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) and willow (Salix babylonica) (Yiu, 2006[7])
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.
