DISTRIBUTION:

Athletes ethra ogouensis (wingspan: males: 123-137mm; females: larger (138-180mm)) flies in
Cameroon: Centre Province: Yaounde and Mbalmayo, Sud Province: Elone, Est Province: Yokadouma; and probably through most of southern Cameroon;
Gabon: Haut-Ogooue: Franceville.
Philippe Darge reports it also from
the Republic of Central Africa and
the People's Republic of the Congo: Ouesso. SCI reports this species in
Ivory Coast: Foro Foro (Katiola), Mokta, Mont Tonkoui. I suspect it also flies in Ghana (confirmed, AM), Togo, Benin and Nigeria, and possibly even further west.

Athletes ethra ogouensis male, Pusupu, Ghana,
August 14, 2006, courtesy of Jeannie, tentative id by Bill Oehlke (might be albicans)

Philippe Darge reports a male taken in Franceville, Haut Ogooue, Gabon, in mid January. I suspect it also flies in other months. Jean-Louis Albert sends the specimen below taken on September 29, 2006. Hubert Mayer reports them in Central Cameroon (Mbalmayo) in August. Michelle Constanza reports them from Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroun, in April.

Athletes ethra ogouensis, Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroun,
April 6, 2010, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet.

Athletes ethra ogouensis, September 29, 2006, Franceville, Gabon,
wingspan: 123 mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Athletes ethra ogouensis, (verso), September 29, 2006, Franceville, Gabon,
wingspan: 123 mm, courtesy of Jean-Louis Albert.

Sebastian Brandner confirms a specimen taken in February in Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon.

Athletes ethra ogouensis male, Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon,
February 2006, wingspan: 137mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner.

Athletes ethra ogouensis male (verso), Elone (Sud Province), Cameroon,
February 2006, wingspan: 137mm, courtesy of Sebastian Brandner.

Athletes ethra ogouensis larval hosts are unknown, but Eucalyptus has been used for the nominate subspecies.

Athletes ethra ogouensis female, 138mm
courtesy of Thierry Bouyer, on my home computer only.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Both sexes are active at night. In Ivory coast specimens have been recored in Foroforo in August, in Mokta in June, and at Mt. Tonkoui in March.

Males come in to lights around midnight when females are scenting.

Athletes ethra ogouensis male, Mbalmayo, Cameroon,
August 19, 2000, courtesy of Hubert Mayer.

Athletes ethra ogouensis male, Ghana,
courtesy of Jason Wright, via Alan Marson.

EGGS, LARVAE AND PUPAE:

Pupation is in the soil in a subterranean chamber.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the possible foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Eucalyptus .......

Eucalyptus

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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.

"Athletes" is the Greek word for athletes.

I do not know the origin of ethra, but in Greek mythology Ethra is one of the Oceanids, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys.

In African mythology Ogun (Ogoun) is the chief of the warriors, the God of War, blood, and iron. He is the guardian of the forge, and the patron of civilization and technology. The subspecies name ogouensis probably designates a locality named for this god. In Gabon I suspect it flies it forested regions along the Ogoowe River.