DISTRIBUTION:

Pselaphelia aurata (wingspan: males 72mm; females: 74mm) flies in
Cameroon: Est Province: Yokadouma;
Democratic Republic of the Congo; and
Gabon according to Thierry Bouyer. I suspect it also flies in PR Congo.

BOLD Systems indicates it flies in Republic of Central Africa.

Pselaphelia aurata male, Nepoko, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lepidoptera Types of the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Visit Pselaphelia Comparison Plate for identification purposes.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Antoine Guyonnet confirms a December flight in Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroun. If my identifications are correct, there is also a late February flight in the same area.

The Pselaphelia aurata caterpillar shows a preference for Afromomum.

Pselaphelia aurata male courtesy of Eric van Schayck.

Pselaphelia aurata male, Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon,
February 23, 2011, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Pselaphelia aurata male (head), Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon,
February 23, 2011, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Pselaphelia aurata male (antennae), Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon,
February 23, 2011, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Pselaphelia aurata male (verso), Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroon,
February 23, 2011, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet,
tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

Pselaphelia aurata/gemmifera male (verso), 81mm, Ebogo, centre Province, Cameroun,
October 2012, courtesy of Dave Marsden, tentativeid by Bill Oehlke.

ECLOSION:

Adults eclose from subterranean pupae.

Pselaphelia aurata male, (verso), Nepoko, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lepidoptera Types of the Royal Museum for Central Africa

SCENTING AND MATING:

Pselaphelia aurata females emit an airbourne pheromone and males use their highly developed antennae to track the scent plume at night to locate the calling females.

Pselaphelia aurata female, DRC,
74mm, on my home computer only.

EGGS, CATERPILLARS AND PUPAE:

Mature larvae leave the host plant to excavate tunnels into the earth. Pupation is in a subterranean chamber.

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.

Afromomum.....

Afromomum

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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.

I do not know the source of Pselaphelia, but it may have something to do with the dark bar (shadow) passing below the cell in the type species gemmifera. Aphelia is the point on the orbit of a celestial body that is farthest from the sun; I think "psel" is associated with 'shadow'. The species name aurata refers to the golden colour of this moth.