Pselaphelia Comparison Plate

Pselaphelia flavivitta male, courtesy of Jacolene van der Vyver..

With the advent of DNA barcoding analysis in 2008, hundreds of "new species" have been designated from the thousands of Saturniidae specimen samples submitted for examination.

The Pselaphelia Comparison plate below provides a series of images in close proximity with some notes to hopefully help me and others with determinations. Please note, descriptions are my own, in some cases from only a single digital image of a worn specimen!

I do not have images of all species available for public display, but perhaps the locations and descriptions will help other viewers.

Almost all of the specimens with newer designations existed in collections under the labels of aurata or gemmifera, and they are quite similar in appearance to those species.

I have broken the genera down into three groupings:
1) males which have small ocelli from western Africa.
2) males which have small ocelli from Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kenya; Uganda. I think it will be very difficult to distinguish between these (noellae and vingerhoedti) without DNA analysis. Oremansi has a very strong dark ray while that of vandenberghei is weak and incomplete.
3) males which have large ocelli.

Two species (vandenberghei and flavivitta) have very weak, incomplete dark-rays/shadows emanating from the body toward the transverse line. In the other species this marking is much bolder and complete to the pm line.

Western Africa; Males with Small Ocelli Pselaphelia neglecta male Psel. neglecta female south central Ivory Coast; Guinea Conakry; Gabon; Equatorial Guinea, possibly southwestern cameroon Psel. arenivaga male I do not think the female has as yet been described Male has less contrast (brighter, uniform yellow) than other species from Cameroon. Psel. arenivaga female Cameroon costa, speckled grey-brown from body to cell Pselaphelia aurata male Pselaphelia aurata female Cameroon, Gabon, Dem. Rep. Congo, probably PR Congo, Central African Republic Pselaphelia gemmifera male I have no images of the female. The male is paler yellow with heavy greyish suffusions, especially in submarginal/marginal areas. Pselaphelia gemmifera female Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya Males with Small Ocelli: Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kenya; Uganda Pselaphelia noellae male Pselaphelia noellae female Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa Pselaphelia oremansi male Pselaphelia oremansi female Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa strong, dark ray P. vingerhoedti male P. vingerhoedti female Kenya; Uganda; and Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa. P. vandenberghei male As yet, I think the female is unknown Kivu is in northeastern DRC near the border with southwestern Uganda Dark ray/shadow is weak and does not reach transverse line Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kivu: Nyamunyunya miniscule fw ocellus apex hardly produced Males with Large Ocelli Pselaphelia flavivitta male Psel. flavivitta female South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique large ocelli weak, incomplete dark ray Pselaphelia laclosi male Pselaphelia laclosi female Malawi; Tanzania: Manow; Kenya very large ocelli w/o white in sbmrgnl areas Pselaphelia kitchingi male As yet, I think the female is undescribed Kitchingi male has more rounded apex, not produced; ocelli not as large as in mariaetheresae. Pselaphelia kitchingi female Tanzania: Morogoro Region, Uluguru Mountains, Bondwa Plateau very large ocelli white in sbmrgnl areas P. mariaetheresae male As yet, I think the female is undescribed The male is very similar to kitchingi, but in mariaetheresae the forewing apex is pointed, somewhat produced and ocelli are larger P. mariaetheresae female mountains of southern Tanzania very large ocelli white in sbmrgnl areas

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