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Pseudonirmides
sola Swinhoe
comb. n.
Miresa sola Swinhoe, 1901, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7)
7:464.
Nirmides luzonensis Hering,
1931: 702, syn. n.
Miresa sola Swinhoe; Hering, 1931: 683.
Pseudonirmides
sola 
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Pseudonirmides
sola in the Philippines
(M.J.W. Cock)
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Diagnosis. The species resembles those of Nirmides in forewing markings, but
is dark brown to black.
Geographical range. Borneo, Philippines, N. Sulawesi.
Habitat preference. During the Mulu survey the species was only taken
from lowland alluvial forest. In Brunei it has been taken infrequently in swamp
forest and mangrove.
Biology. The larva (Mindanao, Philippines) is very different in ornamentation
from those of the Parasa and Thosea groups. It is broadest
centrally, half as broad as long, with the lateral scoli two thirds as long as
the animal is broad, slender, tapering, colourless and translucent. The
dorsolaterals are absent apart from those on T2 (long, tinged crimson) T3, A8
(short, yellow) and A9 (long, yellow). The flanks above the laterals are
indented with oblique, angular corrugations, the grooves of which alternate with
much narrower grooves across the dorsum. The colour is yellowish-green, bluer at
the bases of the laterals and in a broad band along the dorsum. This band is
flanked by zig-zag yellow bands of half the width that run between the short
dorsolaterals; the bands splay anteriorly to pass as ridges to the outside of
the longer crimson dorsolaterals. There is a blue crescent on each side of the
dorsal green band, set within the yellow bands, recurring on each segment
between the deep transverse grooves mentioned above and a smaller crease just
posterior to each. It is illustrated in above.
The cocoon is striking, being pale yellow with red tracery and almost
spherical.
The host-plant recorded in the Philippines was Cocos, and the
larva was reared and photographed by Dr M.J.W. Cock.
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