The Bristly Eggar (Gastroplakaeis meridionalis) is one of the species out of the poorly studied Gastroplakaeis genus. As far as I know there are around ten species of Gastroplakaeis, all of which are found in Africa. Meridionalis is recorded from DR Congo, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibië and South Africa. I don't know how reliable these records are. Some of the species in this genus look very similar and a misidentification cannot always be excluded. From Malawi I'm sure, because that's were I caught the female myself, in the Dzalanyama Forest (December 2016). This a medium sized Lappet. The wingspan is comparable to that of the European Oak Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus). Females are around eight centimeter. The males - shown in the pictures below - are a lot smaller, with a wingspan around five centimeter. The pupal stage was short, only two weeks. Probably they have two flights during the wet season (when conditions are favorable).
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| Gastroplakaeis meridionalis male - Origin: Malawi |
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| Gastroplakaeis meridionalis male - Origin: Malawi |
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| Gastroplakaeis meridionalis male - Origin: Malawi |
