|
Yashmakia Warren
Type species: veneris Warren
Synonym: Opisostorthia Wehrli (type species purpurascens Warren,
China) syn. n.
Members of this genus have wings with a pale yellow ground colour that
is extensively shaded grey except along the forewing costal zone where the grey
is more broken and tinged with red. The forewing is obtusely angled at the
centre of the margin. The hindwing margin is angled at Rs and M3. The male
antennae are bipectinate over the basal two thirds, those of the female being
filiform. The retinaculum is very broad.
In the male genitalia the valves are typical of the group with peg-like
setae, though only one of these setae occurs just subapically. The valve costa
is undulating or lobed, and there are large coremata at the base of the sacculus. The uncus is broad and setose at the base, and there are weak
socii.
The aedeagus vesica has a diverticulum bearing many cornuti, sometimes very long
ones. In the female, the basal half or third of the bursa is extensively
sclerotised, but not fluted. The signum in the distal part is mushroom-like,
stellate.
There are three species typically in Yashmakia, the two discussed
below and Y. vanbraeckeli Debauche from Sulawesi. However, a number of
other species currently placed in genera such as Synegia Guenée and Parasynegia
Warren, and species of Opisostorthia Wehrli share the features of
uncus, and also the angulation of the wing margins. They are therefore here
placed in Yashmakia. The genus is probably most closely related to Parasynegia
(See Parasynegia Warren). The facies of these new combinations with Yashmakia show
less suffusion of grey over the ground colour and a more general extent of red
speckling; the hindwing has a straight fascia from the tornus to the junction of
Rs with the margin as in Parasynegia. Taxa, other than those discussed
below for Borneo, brought into combination with Yashmakia are: Y.
purpurascens Warren (China) comb. n.; Y. medionubis Prout (N.E.
Himalaya) comb. n.; Y. suffusa Warren (N.E. Himalaya) comb.
n.; Y.
erythra Hampson (S. India) comb. n.; Y. conflagrata Hampson (S. India,
? = erythra) comb. n.; Y. submissa Warren (N.E. Himalaya) comb. n.
Y. erythra was reared by Bell (MS) in S. India. The egg is a
flattened ovoid, truncated at one end, with beaded, low, longitudinal ribs. The
larva is light yellow, shaded greenish, olive green ventrally. This ground
colour is restricted to a lateral band by wide dorsal and spiracular marbled
brown bands. The dorsal band is centred with black on T2 and T3, and edged black
from A4 to A7.
The larvae feed on the young, whitish leaves of the host-plant, a
species of Piper (Piperaceae). Pupation is on the ground under a covering
of litter cemented together by silk.
Species in Borneo show some preference for alluvial and acid soil
forests.
<<Back
>>Forward <<Return
to Contents page
|
