EUPANACRA FRENA (Swinhoe, 1892) -- Swinhoe's rippled hawkmoth

Male Eupanacra frena, Tadlo, Laos, leg. Jean Haxaire. Photo: © Jean Haxaire, NHMUK

TAXONOMY

Panacra frena Swinhoe, 1892, Catalogue of Eastern and Australian Lepidoptera Heterocera in the collection of the Oxford University Museum. Part I. Sphinges and Bombyces: 12. Type locality: [Bangladesh,] Silhet [Sylhet].

Synonym. Panacra frena Swinhoe, 1892.

Synonym. Eupanacra elassama Brechlin, 2014.

Note. Synonymized with Chaerocampa mydon by Hampson, 1893, Fauna Brit. India 1: 90. Reinstated as a species by Haxaire & Melichar, 2023, European Entomologist 15(3+4): 116. Eupanacra elassama Brechlin, 2014, was synonymized with Eupanacra frena by Haxaire & Melichar, 2023, European Entomologist 15(3+4): 117.


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Very similar to Eupanacra mydon, but forewing shorter with a sharper apex and a smoother outer margin with slighter indentation below the apex. The upperside colour and pattern similar to Eupanacra mydon but marked with more black scales and a black patch. Hindwing with more waved outer margin. Forewing underside with yellow patch near the tornus and apex, submarginal area in grey. The hindwing underside is grey, medial area with an ochre curved band towards to the tornus (Jiang, Wang, Xu, Wang & Hu, 2026).

Male genitalia similar to Eupanacra mydon, but uncus and gnathos shorter, straighter and apex much sharper. Valva more rounded. Sacculus more slender, basal part more narrow, harpe more slender and more curved upwards than in Eupanacra mydon. Phallus slender and straight, terminating in a bilobed apical process, one lobe is very short and curved downwards, edged with dense teeth, the other lobe is longer with two sharp branches, ventrally projecting and laterally dentate (Jiang, Wang, Xu, Wang & Hu, 2026).


ADULT BIOLOGY

Unknown.


FLIGHT-TIME

China: 20.vi (Yunnan, Yingjiang).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM: Unknown.

LARVA: Unknown.

PUPA: Unknown.

Larval hostplants. Unknown.


PARASITOIDS

Unknown.


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Yunnan (Yingjiang, Xima Town, 1510m).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Northeastern India, southwestern China, northern Thailand, northern Laos and northern Vietnam.


Global distribution of Eupanacra frena. Map: © Jiang, Wang, Xu, Wang & Hu, 2026.

Map: Global distribution of Eupanacra frena (© Jiang, Wang, Xu, Wang & Hu, 2026).


BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION



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© A. R. Pittaway & I. J. Kitching (Natural History Museum, London)