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Nyctemera
adversata Schaller
Phalaena Geometra adversata Schaller,
1788, Beytr. ges. exot. Pap. Naturf. (Jena), 23: 54.
Nyctemera plagifera Walker,
1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 2: 400.
Nyctemera plagifera Walker;
Roepke, 1957: 155.
Nyctemera adversata Schaller;
Holloway, 1976: 6; Barlow, 1982: 75.
Diagnosis. The large discal brown patch combined with a row of various sized
patches on the hindwing distinguishes this species. N. ludekingii is the
only other species with hindwing discal markings but the hindwing border is
unbroken though irregular, and the abdomen is banded yellow and black.
Taxonomic notes. Roepke (1957), whilst recognising the priority of the name adversata,
used plagifera as it was the name in common usage.
Geographical range. Himalaya, W. & S. China, Japan, Peninsular
Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.
Habitat preference. The species is infrequent in open and secondary
forest habitats from the lowlands to 1500m.
Biology. The species is day-flying.
It has been reared from Erechtites, Erigeron, Gynura, Picris, Senecio,
(Sevastopulo, 1940; Miyata, 1983) and other Compositae (Sevastopulo, 1939).
The larva has a red-brown head and prothorax. The rest of the body is black with
a broad white dorsal stripe that is broken between the segments and traversed on
each by two narrow, transverse black lines. There is a broken white lateral
stripe. The mesothorax has a pair of forwardly directed hair-pencils; verrucae
with black hairs are present on all other segments. The pupa is pale chestnut
with black spots and streaks. The larva has been illustrated by Sugi (1987).
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