Distribution:

East Africa with records from Congo (RDC), Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Zimbabwe. The animals depicted here originate from the Dzalanyama Forest (Malawi), where they are not uncommon soon after the rains have started (early to mid December)

Wingspan:

around 3,5 cm for the males. The females are a little bit larger, up to 4 cm. Males and females can easily be separated by the intense pink color of the males. Females are more towards brown

Season:

only one flight annually at the end of the year (in December in Malawi). Pupae remain dormant for months.

Food plants:

many soft grasses and small leaved bamboos. Easy to rear on Fargesia.

Rearing:

An easy species when it comes to rearing the caterpillars. Keep in well ventilated plastic containers (also when older, just make it more spacious). Do not overcrowd. An average room temperature is fine. Keep clean and dry. It takes around six to seven weeks before they start pupating. As soon as they start walking around, move to individual plastic containers lined with kitchen towel or toilet paper, where they pupate. The pupal stage is very long. It takes at least 8 to 10 months before the adults emerge. In captivity they pupate somewhere in February (depends when you got the eggs) and then remain dormant until spring the next year or even longer, with imagines emerging between April and August.

Difficulties:

the small pupae can dry out during hot and dry summers, some extra care is needed. The easiest way is to fill a plastic container with fine aquarium gravel, put the pupae on top and fill the container half with water. Don't fill it up completely, the pupae should not lay in water, or they will rot. Keep like this throughout summer and fill up again when needed.  Next spring spray regularly in order to break dormancy, but check that the pupae can dry up in between spraying.