DNA barcoding analysis has provided for the determination of many new species, almost cryptic in many cases, amongst the great Saturniidae collections in the World. In 2012 Philippe Darge designated four new Epiphora species in the E. mythimnia Group.

The extensive range of Epiphora mythimnia in eastern Africa from South Africa to Kenya, may be?? much more reduced with mythimnia being replaced in Malawi by Epiphora acuta and in Tanzania by species eugeniae, leae and vicina, with leae and vicina possibly also in southern Kenya.

Size, location, elevation, wing shape and a few consistent characters, especially with regard to the forewing white post median line and the forewing white basal bar, can help with identifications.

I offer some notes which are based solely on the single male specimen images presented in Darge's Saturnafrica fascicule #12, of July 2012. I do not know if these characters would be consistent in a series of specimens. I do not have permission to post those images.

By far the species with the most distinguished (i.e. uniformly thick) white, s-shaped post median line is Epiphora mythimnia. Epiphora eugeniae also has a distinct line but it is not nearly as thick, nor as strongly curved.

The other three specimens in the Mythimnia Group have white pm lines that are whispy in their upper halves, only thickening from about half way down the cell to the inner margin. I note the following:
in vicina the whispy line meets the costa only slightly forward of the outer edge of the hyaline area;
in acuta the whispy line makes an almost ninety degree turn halfway between the top of the cell and the line's juncture with the costa;
in leae the whispy line makes a smooth curve in its course from the top of the ocellus to the costa.

If one takes a white envelope and holds one edge of the envelope so that it is parallel the line of the forewing inner margin and slides the inner edge in said position over the left forewing so that the outer edge of the envelope is tangent to the innermost projection of the white pm line the following relationships can be observed:
a) in mythimnia the lower innermost projection is very slightly closer to the vertical line of the body than is the juncture at the costa, and envelope leaves about 40% of cell exposed to view;
b) in eugeniae the lower innermost projection and the juncture at the costa are in line, and envelope leaves less than 20% of cell exposed to view;
c) in vicina the pml juncture with the apex is far outwardly removed from the edge of the envelope, leaving about 50% of the cell exposed to view;
d) in leae the lower innermost projection and the juncture at the costa are in line, and envelope leaves less than 20% of cell exposed to view (same as eugeniae);
e) in acuta about 10 percent of the cell will be left exposed to view, and the envelope will be significantly hiding the juncture of the pml with the costa.

The hindwings have a characteristic shape. In both mythimnia and acuta the hindwing outer margin is quite evenly rounded. In both leae and eugeniae, the darker, higher elevation species, the hindwing has a more rectangular shape, with eugeniae being the most evenly subrectanguar. In vicina the wing is a bit wedge-shaped, less wide in the outer margin near the anal angle.

Mythimnia has a white basal bar that reache the ocellus with a slight upward projection/suffusion internal to the inner edge of the ocellus. Acuta has a relatively thin bare that terminates in a point before reaching the ocellus. The other three species all have relatively thickwhite bars terminately more bluntly before reaching the ocellus.

Location and size: mythimnia may be? limited to South Africa, Swaziland and other southern African countries. Acuta (110-118mm) may be limited to south eastern Malawi. Vicina is a low elevation species (37-406 m), widespread in eastern Tanzania and possbily into southern Kenya. Eugeniae is probally limted to higher elevations in the mountains of Rukwa in central western Tanzania at elevations of 1080-1334m. Leae is a medium elevation (620-1280) species in eastern Tanzania and possibly into southern Kenya.

Descriptions in the third column apply to males.

Epiphora mythimnia Group Comparison Chart

Epiphora mythimnia male Epiph. mythimnia female S.A.: Natal; Swaziland Zambia thick wht pml; rectangular wh bar to cell base; 90 d upturn; heavy white suffusion in pm area Epiphora vicina male Tanga R.; Morogoro R. Epiph. vicina female Pwani R.; Iringa R. Tanzania S.E. Kenya ?? whispy upper half to white fw pml; white bar ends before cell; no white upturn; wide dark zone in pm area Epiphora leae male Morogoro Region Epiph. leae female Kilamanjaro Region Tanzania S. E. Kenya?? Epiphora acuta male Epiph. acuta female Malawi: Mulanje whispy white fw pml turns in at almost 90d near costa; narrow, pointed basal bar ends before neeting ocellus broad apical production Epiphora eugeniae male Epiph. eugeniae female female unknown possibly?? the male forewing inner margin is slightly concave Tanzania: Rukwa Region large; dark; pm line distinct, not so deeply curved; basal white bar does not reach cell hyaline areas large on all wings

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