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SUBFAMILY
PANTHEINAE |
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Belciana kala Prout comb. rev. (Plate 1, Figs 25, 26) Belciana
kala Prout, 1924, Bull. Hill
Mus. Witley, 1: 442. Diagnosis. This is the largest Bornean species. It has fine, dense, black, zig‑zag fasciation over the central part of the forewing. The marginal zone with brown blocks has a row of ovate white spots close to the actual margin. The hindwing is pale yellow over the basal half with a dull brown‑grey border, more as in typical Donda. Taxonomic note. Kobes (1992) transferred the species to Donda on the basis of some hairs within the ommatidia of the eyes and other features, but the male genitalia on balance indicate a closer relationship to Belciana. The male abdomen has the eighth segment as in typical Belciana species, but the valves of the genitalia are narrower, splayed away from the tegumen and bearing a dense covering of dorsally directed hair setae as in B. striatovirens Moore (see below). The spine to the inner margin of the sacculus is as in typical species, but there is an additional process more basally. The distal spine is on a narrow detached section in ssp. nepalensis, and the basal process is more acute. The aedeagus has an apical thorn, and the vesica is more elongate and lacks the small curved sclerite of typical species. The tegumen lacks a peniculus. The female genitalia follow a similar plan to those of Donda and typical Belciana except the ostium is broadened, lobed, funnel-like, the ventral zone of the corpus bursae is only sclerotised and corrugated over a short distance, giving way immediately to the distal zone which is elongate, slightly tapering. Geographical range. Sundaland; Himalaya (ssp. nepalensis). Habitat preference. The species is infrequent but ranges from the lowlands to 1930m, mostly in forested localities. It may be slightly more frequent over the middle of this range. |
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