io A. WATSON 



Taxonomic History. Epicampoptera was erected by Bryk (1913 : 7) for 

 Thymistida erosa Holland (selected by Bryk, 1913 : 7, as type-species) and a new 

 species strandi. The following year Hampson (1914 : 104) erected the genus 

 Metadrepana for two new species glauca and heterogyna and selected glauca as the 

 type-species. Tarns (1925 : 289-291) described andersoni and pallida as two new 

 species of Metadrepana and later (1930 : 74) added marantica. Gaede (1927 a : 

 163) first synonymized Metadrepana Hampson, 1914, and Epicampoptera Bryk, 

 1913, and described heringi. Gaede (1927 b : 290) in the first revision of Epicam- 

 poptera listed erosa, strandi (synonym : glauca), heterogyna, andersoni, heringi and 

 pallida. Gaede (1931 : 52) in a catalogue of Epicampoptera listed the same species 

 as in Seitz but added Thymistida miserrima Holland (see below). Hering (1934a : 

 400-405) added difficilis, ignorata and vulvornata and through a misunderstanding 

 sank marantica as a junior synonym of strandi. Later in the same year Hering 

 (1934 b : 407) corrected the above synonymy, and sank ignorata as a junior synonym 

 of marantica. 



Through the kindness of Dr. H. K. Clench I have been able to examine drawings 

 of the genitalia and photographs of the holotype of Thymistida miserrima Holland. 

 This species clearly does not belong in Epicampoptera and has been transferred to 

 Spidia (see page 112). The species carnea has been taken from synonymy in the 

 genus Ctenogyna Felder and transferred to Epicampoptera (p. 36). Various 

 changes in specific nomenclature have been made and nine new species have been 

 described in the present revision. Epicampoptera now comprises nineteen species. 



Distribution (Maps 1 and 2). Epicampoptera is widely distributed in both Africa 

 and Madagascar. Three species are endemic to Madagascar and sixteen to Africa. 

 The genus has been taken in much of the forested regions of West Africa and the 

 Congo Basin from Guinea to the Great Rift Valley, and also in smaller tracts of 

 rain-forest and montane forest in Uganda and Kenya. Only one species, notialis, 

 occurs in South Africa, where it is apparently restricted to parts of Transvaal and the 

 coastal forest-savanna of Natal and Cape Province. Although several African 

 species are known to feed on Coffea (see Pujol, i960), and might therefore be expected 

 to occur wherever Coffea is grown, those plantations of Coffea not close to areas of 

 moist forest are, according to Pujol, practically never attacked. 



Species-groups. With the exception of efulena (see Key below) the genus is 

 divisable into three distinct species-groups : species-group strandi (p. 12) contain- 

 ing the species strandi, marantica, andersoni, tamsi, dijficilis and ivoirensis ; species- 

 group erosa (p. 28) which includes notialis, heringi, heterogoyna, erosa, pallida, 

 robusta, tumidula, graciosa, carnea and griveaudi ; and species-group seydeli (p. 43) 

 containing the species seydeli and lumaria. In the male genitalia of the species- 

 group strandi the uncus is distinctively shaped, each lobe possessing a short, beak- 

 like, medial process ; the valves are moderately well-developed, flat and somewhat 

 hood-like and without acuminate basal processes ; the diaphragma is strongly 

 concave ventrally but not pouch-like ; and the eighth sternum is highly modified, 

 with stout apodemes and long, curved, paired, posterior processes. The male 

 genitalia of the group erosa differ in the shape of the uncus ; the very small valves, 



