Suitable host plants:
Abies kawakamii (Pinaceae) “Taiwan fir”
Larix decidua(Pinaceae) “European larch”
Picea morrisonicola(Pinaceae) “Taiwan spruce”
Pinus strobus(Pinaceae) “White pine”
Pseudotsuga menziesii (Pinaceae) “Douglas fir”
Tsuga canadensis(Pinaceae) “Eastern hemlock”
Tsuga heterophylla(Pinaceae) “Western hemlock”
Tsuga chinensis (Pinaceae) “Taiwan hemlock”

Recommendations: The food plants of Actias neidhoeferi are restricted to pine trees (Pinaceae). The natural host plants they most frequently feed on in Taiwan are Abies kawakamii and Picea morrisonicola. In the unlikely event that one has access to these plants, they should be the optimal host plants. Hobbyists have however managed to raise it on a greater variety of Pinaceae than it has been reported to feed on in the wild including Larix, Pinus, Tsuga and Pseudotsuga. The larvae seem to be very picky and will struggle to feed on many alternatives to their natural host plants and prefer to eat pine trees with very soft and thin needles and are inclined to reject plants with though and hard needles. Unlike many Actias species that feed on Pinaceae it does not seem to have a preference for Pinus. The best alternative that is not one of the natural host plants (Abies kawakamii or Picea morrisonicola ) are various kinds of Tsuga sp (Hemlock) on which it has been raised with success (although Tsuga chinensis may in fact be one of their natural host plants too).

Database navigation
Back to Index (click)
Back to Genera (click)
Back to Genus (click)

Want to help me keep this information online and for free? Some of my work is crowdfunded; consider joining my crowdfunding platforms online. Interested? Click here to find out how to help. 

Citations: Coppens, B. 2019