About Gynanisa maja Klug, 1836
Gynanisa maja, commonly called the speckled emperor, is known as chipumi in Bemba and kawanatengo in Kibembe. It is a moth species belonging to the family Saturniidae. Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug first formally described this species in 1836. Its range extends from South Africa up through eastern Africa to Angola and Zambia. Gynanisa nigra is not a separate species, but only a darker color form of Gynanisa maja. The wingspan of adult Gynanisa maja measures between 105 and 113 mm. Adults are active in flight from late December to early February. Recorded host plants for Gynanisa maja larvae include Acacia erioloba, Acacia karroo, Acacia mollissima, Berlinia paniculata, Brachystegia venosa, Cassia, Colophospermum mopane, Elephantorrhiza burchelli, Julbernardia, Laburnum, Peltophorum, Prunus persica, Pterocarpus, Quercus gambelii, Quercus robur, Quercus turneri, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Schotia. Early-stage larvae of this species are gregarious. The larvae are an important source of food for humans, a practice falling under the category of entomophagy.
