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Diomea
lignicolora Walker
Corsa
lignicolora Walker,
[1858] 1857, List
Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 13: 1101.
Zigera
suvarnad[i]vipae Kobes, 1983, Heterocera Sumatrana,
2: 14, syn.
n.
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Diomea
lignicolora 
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Diagnosis.
This species and eupsema Swinhoe are the largest in the genus and have a
similar facies, the wings mostly uniform greenish brown, with only the paler
marginal markings conspicuous, but much more irregular, not evenly curved in eupsema
which
also has a diagnostic dark brown triangle at the centre of the forewing costa,
and fine greenish speckling over the basal half of the hindwing.
Taxonomic
note. The spelling of the junior synonym in the original description
varies, being suvarnadivipae in the main heading, but suvarnadvipae
everywhere
else. Yoshimoto (2001a) retained the two taxa as distinct species; the
geographical ranges he gave for each overlapped, though he implicitly restricted
that of lignicolora
to
the type locality of Sri Lanka. Their synonymy is proposed here, but further
investigation of the situation is needed as suggested by Yoshimoto; males from
Sri Lanka were not available for dissection.
Geographical
range. Indian Subregion, China and Taiwan (Yoshimoto, 2001a), Thailand
(VK), Sumatra, Borneo, Bali, Sulawesi.
Habitat
preference. This is an uncommon species of lowland forest up to 300m.
Biology.
The species was reared by Bell (MS) in India. The larva is cylindrical. The
prolegs are short, those on A3 and A4 absent. The head is smoky black, with
groups of tiny shining tubercles in the main areas, but no setae. The body has
primary setae on chalazae but also a dense general covering of very short
bristles. The body is smoky black, the spiracles velvety black. There is a
longitudinal pattern of marbling all over, with touches of orange along the
dorsum, strongest on T1 where it includes the chalazae. There is also a hint of
a subspiracular orange line, and there is a small but conspicuous pale yellow
spot just above the spiracle of A5.
The
larvae live on the exterior of bracket fungus, feeding on corky material.
Pupation is in a tight-fitting, ovoid cocoon of white silk, camouflaged with
particles of substrate.
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