Bioko Island

Bioko Island belongs to Equatorial Guinea but lies closer to both southeastern Nigeria (to its north) and southwestern Cameroon (to its north and east) than it does to its mother country.

There may be some endemics, but more likely there will only be slight variations from the species found in southwestern Cameroon.

There is a dry season (November to February). There are three volcanic peaks, the highest, Pica Basile, more than 3000 meters, so there is a quite a range in elevation across the island.

At Bioko's northern tip is the country's capital city, Malabo (population: 100,000), a city pulsing with petroleum wealth and easily accessible from many European capitals. Doubtless more Saturniidae species will be encountered by individuals associated with oil, as that resource is developed.

Moving south the island becomes increasingly rural, devolving into large swaths of undisturbed virgin rainforest.

Those species followed by my intitials (WO?) are speculative, based on reports from Ivory Coast and southwestern Cameroon, and/or from a strong presence (Orthogonioptilum) in western Gabon and southwestern Cameroon as per the work of Philippe Darge.

Jiri Zabokrtsky received a group of specimens, reportedly from Bioko Island which included the following species: Athletes albicans, Athletes ethra, Epiphora rectifascia, Epiphora ploetzi, Lobobunaea phaedusa, Nudaurelia eblis, Nudaurelia jamesoni, Pseudobunaea alinda.

Athletes albicans WO?
Athletes ethra WO?
Aurivillius triramis TB
Bunaea alcinoe WO?
Epiphora rectifascia WO?
Epiphora ploetzi WO?
Gonimbrasia hecate WO?
Gonimbrasia occidentalis WO?
Goodia canui TB
Goodia egeri SB
Goodia falcata TB
Goodia hierax TB
Goodia lunata TB ?
Holocerina angulata TB
Imbrasia epi. biokoensis maybe not a good subspecies TB
Imbrasia obscura TB
Lobobunaea acetes TB
Lobobunaea phaedusa WO?
Lobobunaea g. bousqueti TB
Lobobunaea vingerhoedti TB
Micragone agathylla WO?
Nudaurelia alopia WO?
Nudaurelia bouvieri TB
Nudaurelia dione TB
Nudaurelia eblis WO?
Nudaurelia jamesoni WO?
Orthogonio. a. restrictum PD
Orthogon. inathinum WO?
Orthogon. kahli WO?
Orthogon. luminosum WO?
Orthogon. monochromum WO?
Orthogon. neoprox PD
Orthogon. nigrescens WO?
Orthogonioptilum prox WO?
Orthogonioptilum solium WO?
Orthogonio. vestigiatum WO?
Pselaphelia gemmifera TB
Pseudobunaea alinda WO?
Pseudobunaea illustris WO?
Pseudobunaea irius WO?
P. tyrrhena gauthieri PD
P. tyrrhena neglecta WO?
P. tyrrhena prattorum WO?

Thierry Bouyer indicates at least as many as 39 species from Bioko Island. Thierry is preparing (2008) a paper on the Saturniidae from Bioko Island.

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