Bunaeinae: Large moths with relatively large, ringed, hindwing ocelli.
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Athletes albicans has a slightly brighter white in the upper forewing
compared to A. ethra ogouensis. The hindwing basal area of albicans is a mottled grey-brown-black, but the same area in
ethra ogouensis is almost solid black. Wingspan of male albicans is 182-196mm.
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Athletes albicans has a slightly brighter white in the upper forewing
compared to A. ethra ogouensis. The hindwing basal area of albicans is a mottled grey-brown-black, but the same area in
ethra ogouensis is almost solid black.
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Athletes ethra ogouensis is a significantly smaller species than A. albicans. Male ethra ogouensis have wingspans of only
123-137mm. I suspect females would be correspondingly smaller, compared to albicans females. I am not sure both of
the Athletes species are found in Ghana, but at least one of them is.
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Athletes ethra ogouensis is significantly smaller than A. albicans. Males have wingspans of only
123-137mm. Female Athletes ethra ogouensis are probably slightly larger (138mm) than males. Females would be correspondingly smaller,
compared to albicans females. I am not sure if all of the Athletes species are found in Ghana, but at least one of them is.
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Athletes nyanzae The projection of the am line toward the apex, just below the costa, is very elongate and sharply pointed in
Athletes nyanzae, much more so than in other species. The costa and the outer margin are subparallel below the broadly produced forewing apex.
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Athletes nyanzae The projection of the am line toward the apex, just below the costa, is very elongate and sharply pointed in
Athletes nyanzae, much more so than in other species. The costa and the outer margin are subparallel.
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 | Aurivillius aratus
There is a heavy suffusion of grey-black scales on the ventral surfaces of all wings in Aurivillius aratus that is not present
in the very similar Aurivillius jolyanorum.
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 | Aurivillius aratus
There is a heavy suffusion of grey-black scales on the ventral surfaces of all wings in Aurivillius aratus that is not present
in the very similar Aurivillius jolyanorum.
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 | Aurivillius triramis males have wingspans around 100-103mm.
I do not have measurements for male jolyanorum. Of the two species, I think A. jolyanorum is most likely to be in Ghana, and that has
been confirmed by Thierry Bouyer.
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 | Aurivillius triramis males have wingspans around 100-103mm.
I do not have measurements for male jolyanorum. Of the two species, I think A. jolyanorum is most likely to be in Ghana, and that has
been confirmed by Thierry Bouyer.
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 | Aurivillius jolyanorum seems to have more yellow
in the median area compared to triramis. The basal, marginal and submarginal areas of joyanorum seem to be more heavily suffused with reddish-grey scales
while the same areas on triramis have more distinct grey markings. The forewing apical region is a much clearer/cleaner yellow in jolyanorum compared to
aratus or triramis.
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 | Aurivillius jolyanorum seems to have more yellow
in the median area compared to triramis. The basal, marginal and submarginal areas of joyanorum seem to be more heavily suffused with reddish-grey scales
while the same areas on triramis have more distinct grey markings. The forewing apical region is a much clearer/cleaner yellow in jolyanorum compared to
aratus or triramis.
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 | Bunaea alcinoe should be in Ghana, and the forewing, with its unusual shape to the hyaliine area,
is quite distinctive. Lex
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Cirina forda male
Males of this species are pale beige, often with a pinkish orange tint, and are generally devoid of markings
except for pm lines on all wings and a small, grey hindwing cell mark.
They have wingspans of
85-105mm, and there is a relatively short hindwing tail.
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Cirina forda female
Females of this species have even weaker markings than the males. The hindwings of the female are "tailless" with a rounded outer margin. Wingspan is between 95-115mm.
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Cirina butyrospermi male
This pale brown species is darker than Cirina forda, but markings are weaker and the forewing apices of the male are more produced.
This species is more likely than Cirina forda to be present in Ghana.
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Gonimbrasia hecate has been confirmed in Boabang-Fiema, Ghana in April (Jon Baker). The forewing shape should clearly distinguish
hecate and occidentalis. The apex of Gonimbrasia hecate
is not produced as it is in Gonimbrasia occidentalis.
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Note that the forewing apex of Imbrasia epimethea is broadly produced and then truncated, not pointed
as in Imbrasia obscura. Also note the absence of pink suffusion outside the forewing pm line in Imbrasia epimethea. There is a strong suffusion
of pink scales bordering the outer edge of the pm line in Imbrasia obscura.
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Note that the forewing apex of Imbrasia epimethea is broadly produced and then truncated, not pointed
as in Imbrasia obscura. Also note the absence of pink suffusion
outside the forewing pm line in Imbrasia epimethea. There is a strong suffusion
of pink scales bordering the outer edge of the pm line in Imbrasia obscura.
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Lobobunaea acetes male. Orangey-brown (vinegar=acetes) colour distinguishes this
species from mousey-grey-brown colour of L. goodii.
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Lobobunaea acetes female. Orangey-brown (vinegar=acetes) colour distinguishes this
species from mousey-grey-brown colour of L. goodii.
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Lobobunaea goodii male. Mousey-grey-brown ground colour distinguishes this
species from Orangey-brown (vinegar=acetes) colour of L. acetes.
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Lobobunaea goodii female. Mousey-grey-brown ground colour distinguishes this
species from Orangey-brown (vinegar=acetes) colour of L. acetes.
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Lobobun. melanoneura male. The pm line is very dark, wide, and very close to
outer margin. Forewing veins are black and in sharp contrast to orangey ground colour. Hindwings are subtriangular.
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Lobobunaea phaedusa male. On the hindwing, the tiny white pupil, black iris and striking red, inner ring
distinguish this species.
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Lobobunaea phaedusa female. On the hindwing, the tiny white pupil, black iris and striking red, inner ring
distinguish this species.
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Nudaurelia dione male
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Nudaurelia dione female
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Nudaurelia eblis male
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Nudaurelia eblis female
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Nudaurelia xanthomma male
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Nudaurelia xanthoma male
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Pseudobunaea irius male.
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Pseudobunaea irius female.
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The Pseudobunaea meloui male forewings are quite falcate.
I do not have a recto image of the female, but her forewing apices are rounded.
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Pseudobunaea tyrrhena neglecta male.
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Pseudobunaea tyrrhena neglecta/pratorum? female.
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The Pseudobunaea vingerhoedti male is quite yellow.
I do not have an image of the female, but I suspect she is also pale yellow.
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Micragonini
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Carnegia mirabilis male
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Carnegia mirabilis female.
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Decachorda fletcheri male
The image depicted here is not D. fletcheri. I suspect it is D. aspersa.
Decachorda males are usually orangey, or dull brown, with a broadly preapical pm line.
Antennae are relatively large for small moths. There are relatively small, circular, cell marks on each wing.
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Goodia falcata male. Male wingspan is 73-76mm.
Male forewing tip curves downward in falcata, more so than in nubilata, and forewing outer margin of falcata has a more hollowed out
appearance just below the apex while the outer margin of nubilata seems less hollowed out and more oblique in its course to the anal angle.
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Goodia hierax male.
Male wingspan is 60-70mm. The forewing apex is extremely produced with deep hollowing of the outer margin just below the apex.
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Goodia sentosa male. Male wingspan is 65-70mm.
Thierry Bouyer equates this species with Goodia nubilata. It will be interesting to
see if DNA barcoding results support that decision or recognize sentosa as distinct.
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Micragone ducorpsi male. This species is
very difficult to distinguish from Micragone neonubifera, and several
of the Micragone species are very si8milar.
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The Micragone joiceyi female appears from the ventral surface to have a hindwing that is almost completely white.
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Micragone nenia larvae feed on Annona senegalensis, wild custard apple.
Thierry Bouyer equates M. nenia with Micragone nubifera, and nubifera would have precedence.
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Micragone nenioides larvae feed on Annona senegalensis, wild custard apple.
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Micragone nenioides larvae feed on Annona senegalensis, wild custard apple.
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O. bouyeri forewings are quite falcate and the transverse line is vestigial (scarcely visible). The forewing scalloped pm line is thin but
clear, more so than the am line. On each wing there are two "points of light" one larger,
one smaller. Male wingspan is 57-63mm.
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O. brunneum , Takwa, Ghana.
Fw: very falcate; apex: a little blunt. Ground colour: rosy grey-brown to olive brown.
NHM lists it as synonym of prox, but Darge indicates it as distinct species of group: prox
(southwestern Cameroon), infernarum (western Cameroon), bouyeri (Togo), and brunneum (Ghana, Ivory Coast).
Male wingspan = 57-68mm.
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Orthogonioptilum falcatissimum
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Urotini
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Pselaphelia gemmifera male.
Male wingspan is approximately 74-85mm. P. gemmifera males have a pale yellow ground colour with heavy suffusions of
grey scales in the post median areas of all wings. The forewing ocelli are larger than in P. neglecta.
I do not have an image of the female, but often females in this genus have more produced and pointed forewing apices, and there is often a lobe
on hindwing anal angle.
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Pselaphelia neglecta male.
Male wingspan is approximately 73-80mm. P. neglecta males have pale orange ground colour with heavy suffusions of
grey scales in post median areas of all wings as well as lighter area in lower portion of median area.
Forewing ocelli are smaller than in P. gemmifera.
Often females in this genus have more produced and pointed forewing apices, and there is often a lobe
on hindwing anal angle.
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Attacini
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Epiphora albida male
Hindwing is almost entirely white. Male wingspan is 143-158mm. Natural History Museum confirms this species in Ghana.
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 | Epiphora boolana male
Forewing line is quite similar to that of E. vacuna and E. vacunoides, but hindwing hyaline spot is larger
in boolana. Forewing outer margin meets inner margin at almot right angle, whereas in the other two species mentioned
the angle is more obtuse. Male wingspan is 160-162mm. D'Abrera indicates this species flies in Ghana.
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 | Epiphora rectifascia male
Forewing pm line is very straight. Forewing and hindwing hyaline marks are larger, thicker, than in any of the other species.
Male wingspan is 121-149mm. Not confirmed in Ghana, but is likely present.
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 | Epiphora vacuna male
Very large males: wingspan: 152-178mm. Note hindwing hyaline marks smaller than in boolana.
Note positioning of forewing, white, basal-median band in reference to hyaline crescent, and extension to the pm band. Also note proximity of internal whitish "eyebrow"
in relationship to hyaline crescent.
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Ep. vacunoides males (wingspan: 130mm) tend to be considerably smaller than vacuna males. I also note much more angular upper edge of hyaline
marks on vacunoides. Same edge on vacuna is a much more evenly rounded arc.
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Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea, only a few degrees north of
the Equator. It is roughly the size of the state of Oregon. The
coastline is mostly a low, sandy shore backed by plains and scrub and
intersected by several rivers and streams. A tropical rain forest
belt, broken by heavily forested hills and many streams and rivers,
extends northward from the shore. North of this belt, the land is
covered by low bush, park-like savanna, and grassy plains.
The climate is tropical. The eastern coastal belt is warm and
comparatively dry; the southwest corner, hot and humid; and the
north, hot and dry. Lake Volta, the largest reservoir in the world,
extends through large portions of eastern Ghana.
Larvae of Pseudantheraea discrepans, Lobobunaea goodii,
Nudaurelia dione and other Saturniidae species are consumed by
many of the indigenous peoples.
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