Ganisa postica Walker, 1855 -

Taxonomic Information

Ganisa Walker, 1855 species known from India. 
Ganisa plana Walker, 1855. India. 
Ganisa postica Walker, 1855. India; Sri Lanka (TL). 
Ganisa similis Moore, 1884. NE India.

Species of Ganisa Walker, 1855 are doubtfully identified based on photographs. 
Ganisa plana Walker, 1855 and Ganisa postica Walker, 1855 are best separated by comparing male genitalia and molecular phylogeny. However see notes in identification section for separation of G. postica and G. plana.  

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Similar species: Ganisa plana Walker, 1855. 
From Walker, 1855: This species (G. plana) much resembles G. postica, but may be distinguished by the straight band of the fore wings by the band of the hind wings, which in G. postica is further from the exterior border, and not accompanied by brown dots, and by the form of the hind wings, which in G. plana are more oblique and less convex along the fore part of the exterior border.

Note on species group: Ganisa postica Walker, 1855 and Ganisa plana Walker, 1855 are both valid taxon (included as separate species in the Global Bombycoidea checklist, 2018). This species group is very variable and doubtfully separated through photographs. They are difficult to separate without examining genitalia and comparing molecular phylogeny. Barlow (1982) states that postica is largely found is S. India and Sri Lanka, while plana is found in N. India, including the Himalayas. The member of this genus from India, Ganisa similis, is found in NE India, has an oblique dark diffused band on forewing, and is its forewings are generally more falcate (even more falcate in female) than postica and plana

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir UT
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala1
Ladakh UT
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra121
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total1211

Page citation

Anonymous 2025. Ganisa postica Walker, 1855 – . In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.91. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/ganisa-postica, accessed 2025/07/05.