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Mythimna
(Aletia) radiata Bremer
Leucania radiata Bremer, 1864, Lep. Ost Siberia.
Leucania abdominalis Moore, 1881, Proc. zoo1. Soc. Lond., 1881: 338 syn. n.
Leucania moorei Swinhoe, 1902, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist (7), 10: 50 (new name for abdominalis
Moore, not Walker) syn. n.
Borolia stellata Hampson,
1905. Cat. Lepid. Phalaenae Br. Mus., 5:565.
Aletia abdominalis Moore; Calora, 1966: 684.
Aletia
stellata Hampson; Holloway 1976 9.
Diagnosis.
M. radiata could be confused with members of the quartet just discussed: all
have brownish hindwings with the costal zone paler; most taxa of the Leucania/Acantholeucania
group (M. yu Guenee being the exception) have the hindwings whitish,
brown shading being restricted to the margin. However, the underside is not
silvered, nor, in the male, is there a tuft of black hair scales at the base of
the abdomen below. The hindwing discal spot is present below, distinguishing the
species from decississima, exsanguis and calorai. In the male
genitalia the short sacculus, long cucullus neck and narrow, asymmetrical
cucullus are also diagnostic. The aedeagus vesica is short, with an extended
grouping of numerous, rather needle-like cornuti.
Taxonomic
notes. Sugi
in Inoue et al. (1982) placed stellata as a synonym of radiata.
The male genitalia of the Indian abdominalis/moorei resemble those of
Japanese stellata very closely. Those illustrated from the Philippines by
Calora have the apex of the cucullus less acute than in stellata. Bornean
material has the cucullus more produced, acute, narrow, with cornal setae
sparser than in typical specimens; the harpe is set well within the margin of
the sacculus rather than just overlapping its distal margin.
Geographical
range. Manchuria,
Japan, Indian Subregion to Sundaland, Philippines and Sulawesi.
Habitat preference. On
G. Kinabalu the species was found commonly in cultivated areas at 1050m and
1200m but was also taken frequently up to 1930m and singly at 2110m. On G. Mulu
a single specimen was taken in upper montane forest at 1790m.
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