DISTRIBUTION:

Epiphora boolana (wingspan: males: approx. 160-162mm; females: 146-160mm) is one of the few Attacini in Africa; The Epiphora genus is the only genus of Subfamily Attacinae found on that continent.

The apex of the male forewing is greatly produced. That character and a straight, oblique forewing outer margin give the forewing a narrow, elongated look. White lines are broad and pronounced in the male, thinner and more undulate in the female.

Epiphora boolana, Accra, Ghana, Mike, Nature Trek,
on my home computer only.

D'Abrera indicates a range in
Liberia;
Ghana: Accra;
Ivory Coast: West Province and Comoe Forest, probably thoughout Ivory Coast; Adiopodoum; Barrage d'Ayamé;
Nigeria; and
Cameroon. BOLD Systems reports it in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Guinea Conakry.

Epiphora boolana male, Ivory Coast,
courtesy of John Kamps id by Thierry Bouyer.

Epiphora boolana male, 160mm, sorry, image not available.

Epiphora boolana male, 162mm, sorry, image not available.

In Epiphora boolana there is a wide suffusion of white toward the outer margins, and the males have brighter reddish-grey ground colour as opposed to the darker E. rectifascia.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

In Ivory Coast specimens have been recorded in February and April in Adiopodoum, in January in Barrage d'Ayamé. If my identification of the following moth is correct, there is a September flight in Ghana.

Epiphora boolana female, Ghana,
September, 2013, courtesy of Alan Marson, id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

Epiphora boolana larvae feed on Discoglypremna caloneura.

Epiphora boolana female, Comoe Forest, Ivory Coast,
courtesy of John Kamps, confirmed by Thierry Bouyer.

Epiphora boolana female, 160mm, sorry, image not available.

Epiphora boolana female, 146mm, sorry, image not available.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Epiphora boolana females extend a scent gland from the posterior tip of the abdomen to call in the night-flying males. The pair remains coupled until the following evening.

The wings of the female are more rounded than those of the male, and the hyaline spots are much larger.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

The cocoon is double walled and resembles the cocoon of the Hyalphora.

Larval Food Plants

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.

Discoglypremna caloneura......

Euphorbiaceae

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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 "boolana" probably indicates a range in Boola, Liberia.

Epiphora boolana male, D'Abrera, on my home computer only.

Epiphora boolana female, D'Abrera, on my home computer only.