DISTRIBUTION:

The Fawn Prince, Adafroptilum incanum (wingspan: males: 54-58mm; females: 64-67mm), inhabits Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Zimbabwe and Zambia, Africa. The Natural History Museum reports it from Tanganyika (western Tanzania ??), but that may be a referal to Lake Tanganyika, covered by the preceding countries.

In the male, the body and wings are a dull brownish-yellow. The forewing apex is quite rounded. The grey postmedian line is faint, but it demarcates a very grey outer area from the darker brown "cell" area, hosting two or three tiny "points of light" arranged in a line. Sometimes there is a fourth point inside the "line". The basal area is lighter than the median area.

The hindwing pm line is like that of the forewing; the three tiny "points of light" form a triangle in a uniformly coloured basal-median area.

I (Bill Oehlke) have tentatively identified the male at the top of the page as A. incanum as 1) the less falcate forewing is more suggestive of Adafroptilum than Orthogonioptilum, 2) the moth fits the general discription of incanum, and 3) the location (southeastern DRC near border with Zambia) is a good geographic match for Adafroptilum incanum.

The female is light brown, mixed with some grey and pale rose. The forewing apex projects considerably and the outer margin is very convex. The pm line is fine but well marked; the am line is less distinct. The darker brown median area has a small "point of light" underscored by an anvil shaped slightly larger "point of light" above a large "C-shaped" hyaline area. This lower area may be closed with a small circular island of scales.

The am and pm lines of the hindwing are like those on the forewing. The hyaline areas consist of a single small dot underscored by a much larger "C-shaped" area. The anal angle is slightly lobed.

Adafroptilum incanum courtesy of Jean-Michel Maes.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This moth probably flies in May.

Adafroptilum incanum larvae feed on Brachystegia spiciformis

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Flattened, pale pinkish to ochrous larvae have tiny spine clusters and a dusting of brown. The body is fringed with tufts of hair.

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.

Brachystegia spiciformis.......

Msasa

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Orthogonioptilum incanum male, Cooper and Cooper, on my home computer only.

Orthogonioptilum incanum female, Cooper and Cooper, on my home computer only.