DISTRIBUTION:

The Southern Atlas (wingspan: males: 90-100-105mm (BG); females: 100-110mm) ranges north of the equatorial rain forests from Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon and RP Congo to Kenya. The southern form damarensis flies from northern Namibia through Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and to southeastern Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Tanzania. Countries between those listed probably also have populations of E. bauhiniae.

Epiphora bauhiniae male, 105mm, Kenya,
March 2004, courtesy of Bill Garthe.

DNA Barcoding is helping to determine many species/subspecies. Thierry Bouyer reports in February 2010 that Epiphora bauhiniae ssp. from Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo is ssp. vera.

Thierry also reports (February 2010) that the E. bauhiniae population from Asosa in western Ethiopia near the border with Sudan, is the nominate subspecies.

Visit Epiphora bauhiniae bauhiniae male, Asosa, western Ethiopia, courtesy of John Kamps.

Epiphora bauhiniae, courtesy of Robert Thompson. copyright

Epiphora bauhiniae, Senegal, courtesy of Alain Coache.

Visit Epiphora bauhiniae female body closeup, courtesy of Ian Edwards.

June 30, 2004, Rolf Oberprieler writes, "E. bauhiniae extends in distribution more or less as a broad band from West Africa eastwards through the Sahel zone (north of the equatorial forests) to the Sudan and from there south through Kenya and Tanzania (and the Shaba region of DR Congo) and then southwest through western Zimbabwe into Namibia (missing South Africa itself). Various populations along this cline have been described: bauhiniae from Senegal, schultzei from Chad, atbarina (= sudanica) from Sudan (Ethiopia and Rwanda BOLD Systems), vera from Zimbabwe and damarensis from Namibia.

It's difficult (and non-sensical, in my opinion) to force this clinal geographical variation into fixed and distinct "subspecies" (a stupid concept in any case), but in broad terms there is a western "form" (bauhiniae/schultzei), a darker north-eastern one (atbarina/sudanica) that extends into northern Uganda and Kenya etc., and a southern one (vera/damarensis) that occurs from southern Kenya to Namibia, (including Tanzania and South Africa BOLD Systems). Nomenclaturally, the name of this southern form is damarensis Schultze, 1913, with vera (Democratic Republic of the Congo, BOLD Sustems) Janse, 1918 as a synonym (already recognised by Bouvier (1936), by the way, but Pinhey overlooked Schultze's name!).

Pinhey is also wrong with his statement "typical bauhiniae ... found in West tropical Africa, such as Soudan" - nominate bauhiniae is neither tropical nor occurs in the Sudan! And atbarina was also described from the Sudan (Atbara), so is the same as sudanica. "

Epiphora bauhiniae male, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe copyright.

Epiphora bauhiniae female, Senegal, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe Copyright

Rodolphe Rougerie reports it from Burkina Faso. It is featured on a postage stamp of that country where it is regarded as an insect pest, and it also appears on a Burundi stamp. D'Abrera regards E. atbarina as a separate species, specifying the more rounded forewing hyaline spot and redder colouration, as evidenced in the Burkina Faso stamp.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths fly from late December to March. Larvae feed on various Ziziphus species. There may be a second generation close to the Equator when rains are prevalent.

Epiphora bauhiniae female courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

The antennae of males are more pectinate (comb-like) than those of females. Males use the highly developed antennae to locate "calling" females which scent at night.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Snow-white eggs are laid in clusters of 2-4 on the uppersides of leaves. Solitary larvae are black in first instar.

Larvae change dramatically from first-instar black to white and black, and then to various shades of green. Resemblance to Hyalophora genus becomes apparent in third instar.

Final instar larvae, cocoons, and outer wing margins of adults all bear a striking resemblance to Hyalophora species. The large cocoon hangs froma host branch via a silk band.

Epiphora bauhiniae cocoons, Saly, Senegal, courtesy of Robert Vuattoux.

Epiphora bauhiniae larva, Senegal, courtesy of Kirby Wolfe Copyright

Epiphora bauhiniae cocoons, courtesy of Ian Edwards.

Rainer Plontke has sent me a series of images of immature larvae.

Robert Vuattoux sends pictures of Ziziphus loaded with fruit, and of himself with cocoon collectors.

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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.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

"Epiphora" is a medical condition of insufficient drainage of the tear film from the eyes. The eyes are often watery, lids inflamed and crusted. I do not know the the reason(s) for the choice of Epiphora as the genus name, but perhaps the large hyaline areas on the wings of mythimnia (specimen type) with the thick white and yellow borders, were suggestive of watery, encrusted eyes.

The species name "bauhiniae" is honourific for a woman named Bauhini or may be, as Pinhey suggests, be named for the Bauhinia tree.