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Microcalicha
delika Swinhoe
comb. n.
Boarmia delika Swinhoe, 1902, Trans. ent. Soc. Lond., 1902:
625.
Diagnosis. The facies, with extensive grey patches, is unmistakable.
Taxonomic notes. Two Chinese species, M. insolitaria Leech comb. n. and M.
chloralphus Wehrli, comb. n., have similar facies to delika, but only
females were available for examination; delika is only known from males.
However, the three taxa are probably closely related. Association with Microcalicha
is therefore based on consideration of the following characters of both
sexes: the distribution of pale patches on the wings resembles that in M.
sordida and M. melanosticta (these have fawn patches); the lamella
postvaginalis, bursa and signum in the female are as in typical Microcalicha,
and there is an appendix bursae. However, the male abdomen lacks a setal
comb, the aedeagus is long with a large, needle-like cornutus, and the valve has
a more central setose ampulla.
Geographical range. Borneo, Sumatra, S. Thailand (Sato slide RS-32 15).
Habitat preference. All specimens are from lowland localities, those
three taken during the Mulu survey being recorded from alluvial forest and mixed
dipterocarp forest. The species is very rare.
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