|
‘Plusia’
nigriluna Walker
Plusia nigriluna Walker, 1857, List Specimens lepid. Insects
Colln Br. Mus. 12: 931.
Plusia nigriluna Walker; Holloway, 1976: 32.
Diagnosis. See Argyrogramma signata and Plusiopalpa
adrasta. The
hind-wings have a basal pale zone.
Taxonomic notes. In the Australasian tropics there is possibly a complex of species: the
names rubriflabellata Prout (Goodenough Is., New Guinea) and didymospila
Turner (Queensland) are involved. P. rubriflabellata has a more
bulbous saccus, a valve of more even width, and a more complex distal lobe to
the aedeagus vesica than in nigriluna.
In facies and in the relatively short and lobed aedeagus vesica the
complex is similar to Plusiopalpa, but there is only a single corema on
sternite 8 of the male abdomen instead of two, and there are no lateral ones
between segments 7 and 8. There are lateral tufts of hair on segment 4 of the
male abdomen in addition to those on 5 and 6; only the latter two are found in Plusiopalpa.
Geographical range. Oriental tropics.
Habitat preference. The species is scarce but possibly more frequent in
the lowlands, the highest specimen being recorded from 1200m on G. Kinabalu.
Biology. Moore (1884, Lepid. Ceylon 3: 71) described the larva as olive
green, darker beneath, the segments spotted with black. There are a few fine
dorsal hairs. The host-plant given was Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae).
<<Back
>>Forward <<Return
to Contents page
|
