DISTRIBUTION:

Bunaeopsis hersilia pagei flies in Cameroon, Africa.

BOLD Systems lists Bunaeopsis hersilia elisa as flying in Cameroon, and it lists Bunaeopsis hersilia rendalli from Malawi and Zimbabwe, but it does not list B. h. pagei. Thierry Bouyer lists Bunaeopsis pagei with full species status as Incertae sedis.

Bunaeopsis hersilia pagei, Adoumandjal, Cameroon,
September, 1998, courtesy of John Kamps.

I cannot find Adoumandjal on the Cameroon map, but I suspect it is is Est Province, just west of Abong Mbang.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Bunaeopsis hersilia pagei larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Bunaeopsis hersilia pagei males are active at night and come in to lights. Females have not been collected, but it is expected they scent at night and have a very strong ovipositing urge.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Bunaeopsis hersilia pagei larvae probably feed on broad leafed grasses and reeds.

Pupation is in a subterranaean chamber excavated by the mature larva.

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

The genus name Bunaeopsis, indicates a similarity ('opsis' = looks like) to the Bunaea genus. That name is from the Greek and refers to a lobed hill-dweller.

The species name hersilia comes from Hersilia, the wife of Romulus who is the founder of Rome in Roman mythology.

The subspecies name pagei is honourific for Page.