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''Chrysiridia rhipheus'' (Madagascan sunset moth) is a day-flying moth of the family Uraniidae. It is considered one of the most impressive and appealing-looking lepidopterans.〔 Famous worldwide, it is featured in most coffee table books on Lepidoptera and is much sought after by collectors.〔〔 It is very colourful, though the iridescent parts of the wings do not have pigment; rather the colours originate from optical interference.〔〔 Adults have a wingspan of . Dru Drury, who described the moth in 1773, placed it in the genus ''Papilio'', considering it a butterfly. Jacob Hübner placed it in the moth genus ''Chrysiridia'' in 1823. Later redescriptions led to junior synonyms such as ''Chrysiridia madagascariensis'' (Lesson, 1831).〔 At first the moth was thought to be from China or Bengal,〔〔 but was later found to be endemic to Madagascar. It is found throughout the year in most parts of the island, with peak populations between March and August, and smallest numbers between October and December. Females lay about 80 eggs under the leaves of ''Omphalea'' spp. The caterpillars are whitish-yellow with black spots and red feet and are covered in club-ended black setae. Silk spun from the mouth helps the caterpillars hold on to smooth leaves and climb back to the plant when they fall. After completing four instars, the caterpillars spin an open network cocoon. The pupal stage lasts from 17 to 23 days.〔 ''Chrysiridia rhipheus'' is the sole specialist herbivore of the four species of ''Omphalea'' in Madagascar. ''Omphalea'' is toxic: the toxins are sequestered by the feeding caterpillar and retained in the pupal and adult stages.〔 Thousands of these moths migrate between the eastern and western ranges of their host plants.〔〔 ==Taxonomy== The Madagascan sunset moth was first described by the British entomologist Dru Drury in 1773 from a specimen obtained from a Captain May of Hammersmith. Because of its resemblance to swallowtail butterflies, Drury described the species as ''Papilio rhipheus''.〔 The specimen Drury received had the head of a different species attached, probably that of a butterfly, which had clubbed antennae—this trait is frequently used to differentiate moths from butterflies. Once the inaccuracy in Drury's specimen was found, the moth was placed in the genus ''Urania'', until 1823 when the German entomologist Jacob Hübner placed it in a new genus, ''Chrysiridia''. The moth has also been described under other names. Because Drury described his specimen as having clubbed antennae and being tailless, William Swainson thought it was a different species than the complete specimen described by Cramer. In 1833, Swainson named the butterfly ''Rhipheus dasycephalus'' and the moth ''Leilus orientalis''.〔 Other synonyms include ''U. crameri'' by Maassen in 1879 and ''U. ripheus'' var. ''madagascariensis'' by Lesson in 1831. Native Malagasy people call it ''Adriandolo'' or ''Lolonandriana'',〔〔 from ''lolo'' for "spirit" or "butterfly" and ''andriana'' for "noble" or "king", therefore meaning "noble butterfly",〔 "noble spirit", "king butterfly" or "king spirit". The genus ''Chrysiridia'' is entirely African and the only other species in the genus is the East African ''C. croesus''. ''Chrysiridia'' is one of three diurnal uraniine genera. The other two genera are ''Urania'', its sister taxon, and ''Alcides'', the most basal. In the group, the use of ''Endospermum'' is an ancestral state (a plesiomorphy). The more basal ''Alcides'' feed on ''Endospermum'' and ''Omphalea'', while ''Urania'' and ''Chrysiridia'' feed only on ''Omphalea''.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chrysiridia rhipheus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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