Type species: Actias luna (Linnaeus, 1758).
A mainly Holarctic genus comprising about 18 species, of which one occurs in the western Palaearctic, two or three in North America, and the rest in the eastern Palaearctic and Oriental regions, and eastern Africa (as Argema).
HOSTPLANT FAMILIES: Many trees and shrubs.
(Taxonomic note. Many of the subspecies assigned to this species in the past have now been given specific status. See notes on distribution for details.)
Type locality: Safed Koh, Sud, Kotkai, eastern Afghanistan.
Holarctic; eastern Palaearctic region. Pleistocene refuge: Monocentric -- Sindian refuge.
Wingspan 116--122mm. Similar to the nominate form, but wings more blue-green with very reduced chocolate and cream eyespots. Body white, banded horizontally with purple-brown in line with the costa, which is of a similar colour. The 60mm hindwing tails are yellowish, with some pink. Males have more falcate wings than females.
This nocturnal species inhabits open landscapes with scattered trees and shrubs up to 2400m altitude.
Probably univoltine, with adults on the wing from mid to late June.
Unknown, but probably the same as the nominate subspecies (see Gardiner, 1982 & below images).
Hostplants. The nominate subspecies feeds on many species of tree and shrubs, and so may subsp. eberti.
Unknown.
An eastern Palaearctic species which just penetrates the region in eastern Afghanistan, having been found in the Safed Koh mountain range, Nangarhar Province.
Extra-limital range. None.
Only three -- selene Hübner, omeishana Watson and seitzi Kalis. These are distributed from northwestern India east to the Philippines, and from China south to Java and Sri Lanka. The following, formally regarded as subspecies of Actias selene, are now treated as distinct species: Actias ningpoana Felder, Actias rhodopneuma Röber, Actias callandra Jordan, Actias laotiana Testout, Actias felicis Oberthür, Actias sinensis Walker, Actias gnoma Butler, and Actias dubernardi Oberthür. Subsp. appollo Röber is a synonym of Actias artemis aliena Butler.
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