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Athetis
nonagrica Walker comb. n.
Curgia nonagrica Walker, 1864, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Zool), 7:166.
Amphipyra agrotoides Snellen, 1880, Tijdschr. Ent. 23: 77, syn. n.
Leucocosmia nonagrica Walker; Holloway, 1976: 14 (most specimens and figured genitalia).
Diagnosis.
This species
is generally as in A. thoracica but slightly larger. The male has the
buff zone of the forewing more extensive but a less orange buff, but it lacks
the buff zone to the base of the hindwing of thoracica males. The abdomen
is less conspicuously darker. In both sexes the forewing pale postmedial is edged
interiorly by dark dots on the veins in nonagrica but rarely so in thoracica.
Females of nonagrica have a conspicuous dark brown subbasal mark on
the forewing, lacking in thoracica. In the male genitalia the valve is
much more rounded, lacking the acute apex of that of thoracica; the
aedeagus vesica has two short diverticula rather than one long one, and the main
tube bears a series of short, widely spaced cornuti rather than a more closely
packed series of longer ones. In the female genitalia the appendix bursae is at
least twice as long, half as wide and much more convolute.
Taxonomic
note. The
name nonagrica has been applied consistently to the previous species in
recent literature. Examination of the holotype (UM, Oxford) has shown this to be
erroneous. The holotype of agrotoides (RMNH, Leiden) is a female of nonagrica.
Geographical
range. Borneo,
Peninsular Malaysia, Sulawesi, New Guinea.
Habitat
preference. The
species is found from the lowlands to 2600m, but is possibly more common at
higher altitudes. It exhibits preference for open habitats.
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