When I started working on the WLSS in the late 1990's there were fewer Aglia species/subspecies, generally recognized as valid: tau, tau amurensis, homora, japonica, japonica microtau. In a 2000 publication Beeke, Brosch, Nassig and Lampe indicated tau amurensis in northeastern China is synonymous with nominate tau.

In a 2003 publication Naumann, Brosch and Nassig indicate that all subspecies of tau are really nominate tau in its many variations, and they also put forward the name of a new, large species, Aglia ingens which is very similar to Aglia homora.

In 2015 Brechlin & Meister 1) suggest ingens is a junior subjective synonym of homora, 2) seem to accept there are no subspecies of tau, and 3) put forward two new descriptions: Aglia sinyaevi from Shaanxi, China, and Aglia vanschaycki from Ghizou, China.

Aglia sinyaevi is very similar to Aglia tau; Aglia vanschaycki is very similar to Aglia homora, and it may require DNA barcoding to actually distinguish the new species from their look-alike relatives.

As per notes above, tau amurensis may be a synonym of tau; ingens may be a synonym of homora; it may be possible that sinyaevi can only be distinguised from tau by DNA barcoding and that vanschaycki can only be distinguished from homora by the same process. Bill Oehlke

Aglia tau Group In this group the ocelli on all wings are roughly equal in size, whereas in the japonica group the hindwing ocelli are considerably larger than their forewing counterparts. Aglia tau male; 30-36mm Aglia tau female; 36-49mm Duller females fly at night, males during the day. Northern Spain and France across central Europe, through Scandinavia to Japan. Absent in British Isles. Males show varying degrees of melanism. Aglia tau amurensis male; mm I belive the male depicted above is from Beijing, China. It was listed as tau amurensis. It might be nominate tau or even sinyaevi, although sinyaevi, Shaanxi, seems to have narrower pm areas and sinyevi forewing am line is tangential to ocellus. Aglia tau amurensis female; mm The female above from Korea is a very good match for sinyaevi, described from Shaanxi, China. It might be tau, tau amurensis or sinyaevi All subspecies placed in synonymity with nominate tau, 2003. Brechlin & Meister do not mention any subspecies, 2015. Specimens from Russian Far East, Koreas, northeastern China previously designated as tau amurensis might be nominate tau. Aglia sinyaevi male; 28mm; 1500m Shaanxi: Tai Bai Shan Mts; Tsinling Mts: Foping Nature Reserve Aglia sinyaevi female; 34mm; 1500m Shaanxi: Tai Bai Shan Mts; Tsinling Mts: Foping Nature Reserve sinyaevi m very similar to tau sinyaevi: more convex pm line; narrower marginal area; am line tangential to ocellus f: more convex pm line, greyer marginal areas, much like amurensis f above Aglia japonica Group In this group the forewing ocellus is considerably smaller than the hindwing ocellus. In the tau group the ocelli are roughly equal in size on upper and lower wings. Aglia japonica male; 32-37mm northen Japan; Russia Aglia japonica female; 44-48mm northern Japan; Russia Northern Japan; Russian Far East consistently larger than microtau from southeastern Japan. Aglia japonica microtau male; 28mm southeastern Japan Aglia japonica microtau female; 34-36mm; Southeastern Japan Southeastern Japan consistently smaller than nominate japonica from northern Japan. Aglia homora male; 38-45mm Aglia homora female; 52mm Female HT is not available for study; neotype male designated from assumed locale of males females from this group: probably all very similar Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Shaanxi Aglia ingens male; 47-53mm 2600-3200m Aglia ingens female; 57mm 2600-3200m Sichuan: Gangga Shan; mentioned as a junior subjective synonym of homora by B & M, 2015 males have no dark ocellus on forewing dorsal surface A. vanschaycki HT male; 50-53mm China: Guizhou, 1600m A. vanschaycki PT male; 50-53mm China: Guizhou, 1600m female undescribed very similar to homora, although vanschaycki is supposed more reddish

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