Key created by Beetledude and fine-tuned for iNat by Karoopixie

Preliminaries:

• » Only 1: Only 3rd to 5th instar caterpillars. Younger instars look differently.
• » Only 2: DORSALLY FLATTENED SPINES ONLY.
• » Only 3: Only tribe Bunaeini (this came by itself).

• «Excluded 1: The caterpillar of the African Moon Moth, Argema mimosae (tribe Saturniini). The protuberances on its back are fleshy outgrowths, not spines.
• « Excluded 2: The caterpillars of the genus Epiphora (tribe Attacini). They have four dorsal outgrowths per segment, but these are like coloured pegs, and are not flattened spines.
• « Excluded 3: Caterpillars with other dorsal protuberances which are not flattened spines, e.g. Pseudobunaea spp.

Excluded taxa: 1. Argema mimosae © @suncana | 2. Epiphora mythimna © @cathy_munro | 3. Pseudobunaea tyrrhena © @suncana

The key:

1a.  Ground colour black (or dark red). Lateral row of large red or orange spiracles. Spines starkly white, sharp: a pair of dorsal white spines on each abdominal segment, plus one white spine on each flank. Large. Host plants Cussonia, Bauhinia, numerous other Fabaceae (trees), Celtis, Croton, Terminalia, etc	Cabbage Tree Emperor Bunaea alcinoe Bunaea alcinoe larvae photo by @colin25
1b.  Ground colour green, only rarely yellowish or brownish; with four flattened, white or silvery spines dorsally and dorsolaterally.	go to 2.
2a.  Speckling (white or yellow) below lateral line, and sometimes above it.	go to 3.
2b.  No speckling above or below lateral line.	go to 4.
3a.  Body green, with broader or narrower, dark lateral stripe: blackish or magenta, usually with a pale band below, with some yellow spots. Fine speckling of white or yellowish below and/or above the lateral stripe. Four prominent, flattened white or silver spines on each segment (may be reduced or absent), usually tipped with yellow, sometimes tips are red with tufts of bristles. Spiracles purple or yellow or yellow-and-purple striped. Up to 90mm long. Host plants Colophospermum mopane, Schotia and numerous other leguminous trees Gynanisa maja larva photo by @suncana	Speckled Emperor Gynanisa maja Gynanisa maja larva photo by @wolfachim
3b.  Body green, without a dark lateral stripe (at most a darker lateral line). Each body segment with four prominent silver spines. Spiracles black.	go to 5.
4a.  Silver spines edged with magenta-red only at tip and at base. Host plants several Senegalia species	Marbled Emperor Heniocha marnois
4b.  Silver spines tipped with yellow. Host plants Vachellia karroo, other Vachellia species, also Australian Acacia species; and H. a. flavida on Elephantorrhiza. Heniocha apollonia apollonia photo by @rslhaupt	Southern Marbled Emperor Heniocha apollonia Heniocha apollonia flavida photo by @hermannstaude
5a.  Each spine is greenish, edged with silver and tipped with yellow. Faint pinkish bands between segments. Up to 70mm long. Host plants Peltophorum, Albizia. Aurivillius fuscus larva photo by @alexanderr	Cat's-eye Emperor Aurivillius fuscus Aurivillius fuscus larva photo by @botalex
5b.  Underside covered with fine yellow spots. Silver spines edged entirely with magenta-red. Up to 65 mm long. Host plants numerous Senegalia species Heniocha dyops larva photo by @wolfachim	Western Marbled Emperor Heniocha dyops Heniocha dyops larva photo by @andrew_hankey Heniocha dyops larva photo by @wolfachim

Disclaimer: This key will work, but it is incomplete.

Sources:

LAMPE, R.E.J. 2010. Saturniidae of the World -- Pfauenspinner der Welt. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, Munich. 368 pp.

OBERPRIELER, R. 1995. The Emperor Moths of Namibia. Ekogilde c.c., Hartbeespoort, South Africa. 91 pp.

PINHEY, E. 1972. Emperor Moths of South and South Central Africa. C. Struik, Cape Town. 150 pp.

Hard work by @beetledude

Thank you very much to the photographers :-)

Posted on May 10, 2018 01:27 PM by karoopixie