DISTRIBUTION:

Aglia homora (wingspan: males: 85mm; females: // forewing length: Males: 38-45-55mm; females: 48-52mm and probably larger) flies in
China: southern Shaanxi: Tai Bai Shan; Gansu; and Sichuan and possibly Qinghai, at elevations from 1600m, possibly as high as 3500m.

In the 2015 publication, Entomo-Satsphingia Jahrgang 8 Heft 01 24.04.2015, Brechlin & Meister place Aglia ingens in synonymity (junior subjective synonym) with Aglia homora.

Aglia injens, as described by Naumann, Brosch and Nassig, 2003, has a stated male forewing length of 47-54mm (33 specimens), while the female forewing length is given as 57mm (6 specimens), with all specimens hailing from China: Sichuan: Gongga Shan, near Moxi. In that same publication Aglia homora males, from Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Shaanxi, are described as having a forewing length of 38-45mm from Shaanxi and Gansu, while specimens from Emei Shan, Sichuan are somewhat larger with forewing lengths between 40-55mm. Females are listed with forewing lengths of 48-52mm (2 specimens)

If Brechlin & Meister, 2015 are correct that ingens is a junior synonym of homora, then Aglia homora has the forewing lengths for male (38-55mm and female 48-52+mm), listed above. If the earlier authors are correct, then homora is likely a smaller moth with forewing lengths of 38-45mm.

In 2015 Brechlin & Meister also described a new species, Aglia vanschaycki (male forewing length: 50-53mm (2 specimens)), from Tongzhi, Ghizhou, China. It is very similar to A. homora, but is considerably more southerly in its range as compared to either homora or injens.

The males of all three species are very similar. No female of vanschaycki has been described, and the HT female of homora has not been found for examination, only a male neotype from Shaanxi has been declared in 2003 by Naumann, Brosch and Nassig, based on similarity to the male, smaller size (forewing length 39mm), and a collecting location only assumed to pertain to the original HT female of homora.

I have posted the image below as a female Aglia homora, submitted (without any data) by Eric Van Schayck. It could be a female of injens if that species proves valid; it could be a female of homora; it could even be vanschaycki. I (Bill Oehlke) would not be surprised if injens proves to be valid and vanschaycki turns out to be a synonym of injens. Time will tell!

Aglia homora/injens/vanschacki ?? female, courtesy of Eric Van Schayck.

Brechlin & Meister printed (2015) an image of one of the specimens designated earlier by Naumann, Brosch and Nassig, 2003 as a PT of Aglia injens from Sichuan. The image (not available for display online) shows a male very similar to homora, but with the ocellus on each wing more distant from the median line. DNA barcoding has apparently revealed that this character is variable and this injens paratype is actually homora.

Aglia injens PT male/homora??, Sichuan, China,
on my home computer only.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This species flies from March until June depending upon location and spring temperatures.

The preferred foodplant is birch, homora also accepts beech, lime, oak, sycamore, and walnut.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Pairing probably takes place at night as both genders have been taken at lights, and females deposit their eggs under the cover of darkness.

Males have large bipectinate antennae while females have almost filiform ones.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

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.

Acer pseudoplatanux Alnus cremastogyne Alnus japonica Betula alba Betula pendula Betula platyphylla Carpinus betulus Castanea crenata Corylus avellana Corylus heterophylla Fagus crenata Fagus longipetiolata...... Fagus sylvatica Ilex verticilata Juglans regia Platanus Pyrus communis Pyrus malus Quercus dentata Quercus robar Quercus serrata Salix capraea Tilia

Sycamore maple alder Japanese alder White birch Silver birch Japanese white birch European hornbeam Japanese chestnut European hazel Hazel Japanese beech Beech European beech Black alder English walnut Sycamore Pear Apple Daimyo oak English oak Konara oak Sallow/Goat willow Basswood/Lime/linden

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.

Often names were chosen without any direct link to the characters of the genus or species.

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.

In Greek mythology, Aglia is one of the Graces and is the wife of Hypnos. Also known as Pasithea, Aglia is the mother of Morpheus. Aglia might also be derived from the Greek word for ornamentation, referring to the white mark in the forewing ocellus.

I do not know the reason for species name, homora.

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