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Miliona
basalis Walker
Milionia basalis Walker, 1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects
Colln Br. Mus., 2: 365.
Milionia zonea Moore, 1872, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1872:
569.
Milionia guentheri Butler,
1881, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (5), 8: 381.
Milionia latifasciata Butler,
1881, Ibid. 8: 381.
Milionia pyrozonis Butler,
1882, Ibid. 10: 375.
Milionia butleri Druce, 1882, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1882:
781.
Milionia sharpei Butler, 1886, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (5),
18: 7.
Milionia pryeri Druce, 1888, Ent. mon. Mag. 25: 62.
Milionia ochracea Thierry-Mieg, 1907, Le Nat., 1907: 150.
Diagnosis. Orange on the hindwing is present at the margin, enclosing circles of
ground colour.
Taxonomic notes. The species occurs in a number of distinct races, the Bornean subspecies
being M. basalis sharpei Butler, resembling Peninsular and Burmese
specimens (M. b. pyrozona Butler) rather than Sumatran ones (M. b.
guentheri Butler). There is a completely melanic specimen from Sarawak in
the BMNH.
Geographical range. Japan, N.E. Himalaya, Burma, Sundaland.
Habitat preference. Bornean material has been taken in both lowland and
montane habitats. It occurs at 1618m on Bukit Retak, Brunei, and at 1000m in
lower montane forest on G. Mulu. Several specimens were taken at 900m in upper
montane forest on G. Api, and one at 250m in dipterocarp forest at lower
elevations.
Biology. The life history has been described and illustrated by Tho (1978).
Oviposition is on the foliage of the host plant. The larva has a prominent
orange head and anal region, the rest of the body is bluish black with two broad
lateral bands of orange and several dorsal and ventral white longitudinal lines
that interact with reticulate transverse boxes of white on each segment,
resembling Chinese characters. The spiracles appear as dark dots within the
orange bands. The mature larva lowers itself on a thread from the tree to the
ground where it pupates about 5cm deep in the soil. The host plants in
Peninsular Malaysia are species of Dacrydium and Podocarpus. The
moth can establish in plantations of these in the lowlands.
The adult is day-flying but also comes to light at night. It visits the
flowers of Leptospermum flavescens (Myrtaceae) in the mountains of
Peninsular Malaysia (Tho, 1978).
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