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Achrosis
recitata sp. n.
Sabaria incitata Walker sensu Holloway, 1976: 77.
13-18mm,
 19mm. This species has facies typical of the incitata Walker
complex: a greenish speckled fawn forewing with greenish fasciae, the postmedial
highly irregular in course; a leaden grey tinge distal to the postmedial at the
forewing tornus, and in a similar position on the hindwing in association with a
repetition of forewing coloration along the dorsum. The rest of the hindwing is
bright yellow apart from a faint discal dot. Distinctive features are in the
male genitalia: a spur at one third on the ventral margin of the valve, a
serrate spatulate process at two thirds, then an irregular margin to a narrow,
acute apex. The aedeagus vesica is short with scobination dorsally and a slight
lateral lobe ventrally.
Holotype . SABAH: Mt Kinabalu, Kiau
Gap, 1760m, Cambridge Expedition to Mt Kinabalu 1965 (H.J. Banks, H.S. Barlow
& J.D. Holloway) BM 1968-186, BM geometrid slide 9218.
Paratypes: 2
SABAH: Mt Kinabalu, Power Station, 1930m, general data as holotype; 1
SABAH: Bundu Tuhan, 1200m, general data as holotype; 1 SARAWAK: Gunung Mulu Nat.
Park, R.G.S. Exped. 1977-8 (J.D. Holloway et al.), Site 1, January, Camp
4, Mulu, 1790m 452463, montane forest, BM geometrid slide 12777; 1
SARAWAK as above but Site 14, February, Camp 2.5, Mulu, 1000m 413461,
lower montane forest, BM geometrid slide 10405; 1 BRUNEI: 1618m, Bukit
Retak, montane forest, 19 May 1979 (Lt. Col. M.G. Allen).
Taxonomic notes. The incitata complex consists of a number of species, many of
which have been placed as subspecies of incitata yet differ sufficiently
in genitalia to merit specific status. They appear to be allopatric apart from
overlap of the Bornean species with A. excitata Prout in Sumatra. The
complex consists of the following taxa: A. incitata Walker comb. n.
occurs in the Himalayas and has valves that narrow gently, evenly to a rounded
apex and distal scobination in a narrow aedeagus vesica; A. serpentinaria Walker
comb. n. (Sri Lanka) has black corema hairs, a broadly bilobed valve apex and
both basal and distal spining in the aedeagus vesica; A. pallida Moore
comb. n. (Andamans) has the ventral margin to the valve obtusely angled, the
socii much enlarged, and very extensive basal spining to the tubular aedeagus
vesica; A. innotata Warren comb. n. (Penang) has broad, rather rounded
valves with a toupee-like arrangement of apical setae, and an aedeagus with a
long basal spine and a few more distally in the vesica; A. excitata Prout
comb. n. & stat. n. (Sumatra) has a broad uncus, valves much as in incitata
and an aedeagus vesica as in recitata but with a subapical spur to
the shaft; an undescribed species from Sumbawa with deep valves, narrowed
subapically and with a large serrate process centrally on the interior. A.
purpurascens Warren comb. n. (Engano) is probably also a member of the
group. There are female specimens from Sumba and Java as yet unattributed, and
the southern Indian taxon miscella Swinhoe that is only known from
females.
Geographical range. Borneo, Sumatra.
Habitat preference. Most records are from upper montane forest from 1500m
to 2000m, but a specimen was taken at 1000m in lower montane forest and another
at 150m in wet kerangas forest during the Mulu survey.
Biology. A. incitata has been reared by M. J. Bascombe (pers. comm.) in
Hong Kong. The larva (below) is a rich brown with longitudinal and transverse
whitish bands that divide the brown into rectangles.
Achrosis sp., probably incitata Walker
(Hypochrosini).
The host-plant was Ixora (Rubiaceae).
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