DISTRIBUTION:

Vegetia legraini, (wingspan: males: ; females: 38mm) flies in Namibia.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth probably flies as a single generation in January/February unless there have been years of good rains. The larvae probably feed on Wild Rosemary (Eriocephalus africanus), and other Eriocephalus species.

Vegetia legraini female (verso), Entomofauna.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

I suspect day-flying males are active in the morning and early afternoon in search of scenting females. Night-flying females are attracted to lights during their ovipositing flights.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Eggs are probably deposited in clusters of 8-20 on hostplant twigs, but larvae are solitary daytime feeders when they move to outward, exposed branches of hostplant. At night larvae hide near dense centers of bush.

Disturbed larvae curl up and expose urticating spines and warning colouration. Pupation is in a thin, parchment like cocoon near the base of the hostplant.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the (probable) foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Eriocephalus ericoides.....

Wild Rosemary

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

According to Pinhey, 1972, "Vegetia" is from the Latin and means lively or vigorous and probably refers to the daytime flight of the males.

The species name, "legraini" is honourific for Legrain.