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Fascellina
plagiata Walker
Geometra plagiata Walker, 1866, List Specimens lepid. Insects
Colln Br. Mus., 35: 1601.
Fascellina viridis Moore,
1867, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1867: 79.
Fascellina plagiata icteria Wehrli,
1936, Ent. Rundschau, 54: 126.
Fascellina plagiata subvirens Wehrli,
1936, Ibid, 54: 126.
Fascellina plagiata Walker;
Holloway, 1976: 77.
Diagnosis. This and the next species have the same yellowish green ground colour to
the wings. F. plagiata has a strong, broad, sharply defined brown zone at
the tornal angle of the forewing, that is weak, diffusing away anteriorly in altiplagiata.
On the hindwing the straight medial is more clearly double, and the
semicircular submarginal is clearly defined (absent in altiplagiata). The
ground colour is irregularly speckled with brown in altiplagiata. On the
underside the species are more similar, but the hindwing medial is double in plagiata
and usually single or with the outer component very faint in altiplagiata.
Geographical range. Himalaya, W. China, Taiwan, Peninsular Malaysia,
Borneo.
Habitat preference. The species has only been taken on G. Kinabalu where
it is frequent between 1200m and 1930m.
Biology. Sevastopulo (1946, 1947) and Bell (MS) described the larva in India. It
resembles that of chromataria (see above) in shape (the conical processes
are less developed) and habits but differs in colour, particularly in having a
dorsal yellow heart- or diamond-shaped mark on A5. The colour is more brownish
orange with a large speckled grey area dorsally on A2 and similarly speckled
grey or lavender-grey laterally on A6-8, and a narrow pale yellow dorsal band on
A5 and A6. Anteriorly and posteriorly the dorsum is blackish. The setae arise
mostly from white dots.
The host plants recorded were Alseodaphne, Bielschmiedia and Cinnamomum
(Lauraceae).
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