DISTRIBUTION: The African Atlas Moth, Epiphora ploetzi (wingspan: males: approximately 154-157mm; females: 153mm), is one of the few Attacini in Africa and it is the largest of the Epiphora genus. This species flies in West and Central Africa and eastern Africa, and the larva is recognized on a People's Republic of the Congo postage stamp.

It flies in Cameroon: Yaounde, Centre; Elone, Sud; Yokadouma, Est;
Gabon: Franceville, Haut-Ogooue; Koulamoutou, Ogooue-Lolo;
People's Republic of the Congo: Ouesso (SA#8); and
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). Thierry Bouyer reports it from
Kenya; and
I suspect it also flies in the Central African Republic (now confirmed by John Kamps).

Epiphora ploetzi male, Central African Republic,
courtesy of John Kamps, id by Thierry Bouyer as ploetzi or intermedia.

D'Abrera indicates this moth is the same as E. gabonensis, and also indicates it is probably the same as E. congolana and E. torquata. Darge regards E. congolana as a distinct species.

Epiphora ploetzi underside, Cameroon, courtesy of Bill Oehlke.

Epiphora ploetzi is perhaps the largest of the Epiphora. Very similar to E. vacuna, it does not seem to have nearly as much white scaling, particularly in the hindwing median and post median-areas above the hyaline cell area. The am region and pm line also seem narrower/less full in their white scaling.

Epiphora ploetzi male, Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon, 800m
July 2006, wingspan 157mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner, id by Bill Oehlke.

Epiphora ploetzi male (verso), Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon, 800m
July 2006, wingspan 157mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner, id by Bill Oehlke.

Epiphora ploetzi female, Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon, 800m
July 2006, wingspan 153mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner, id by Bill Oehlke.

Epiphora ploetzi female (verso), Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon, 800m
July 2006, wingspan 153mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner, id by Bill Oehlke.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Epiphora ploetzi fly in March-April-May in Gabon and possibly in other months. Sebastian Brandner reports a July flight in southern Cameroon. Philippe Darge reports specimens taken October-January in Franceville, Gabon. Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet, reports a February 9, 2011, flight of Epiphora ploetzi in Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon, confirmed by recto and verso images of a female.

Epiphora ploetzi larvae feed on Fagara macrophylla, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis and many other hosts in the wild and will accept Prickly ash in captivity.

Epiphora ploetzi. Yaounde, Cameroon, courtesy of John Marchant.

There is very little to distinguish Epiphora ploetzi from Epiphora vacuna (a smaller, more westerly species perhaps). These two species, as well as many of the other Epiphora species, may someday be synonymized.

Epiphora ploetzi, Franceville, Gabon, April 30, 2006, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Epiphora ploetzi 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.

Visit Epiphora ploetzi female (spread: recto and verso), Koulamoutou (Ogooué-Lolo), Gabon, 150mm, March 5, 2011, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Larvae are spectacular, orange with black tubercles and green spiracles. 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.

Fagara macrophylla Xanthoxylum americanum Zanthoxylum clava-herculis......

East African Satin Wood Prickly ash Southern Prickly Ash

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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 "ploetzi" is honourific for the German lepidopterist, Dr. Karl Ploetz.