Hypena
abjectalis
Prout Hypena abjectalis Walker, [1859] 1858, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 16: 63. Bomolocha variegata Swinhoe, 1918, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (9), 2: 942, syn. n.
Hypena abjectalis
Figure 406Figure 427
Diagnosis. This is a somewhat delicate species with the forewing dorsum delineated by a longitudinal band of dark brown with a paler interior component. Its width reduces slightly and evenly distad, this reduction being in the paler component. The apical lens is defined distad by a cream coloured line that bends obtusely basad at the smaller of two dots of the same colour in the submarginal. This cream line peters out where it connects with a weak, double grey postmedial that curves gently and obliquely basad from this point to the dorsum band at about three-fifths. The forewing facies is somewhat similar to that of H. laceratalis Walker (see below), but the apical lens is more elongate, with a pale, rather ochreous component to the posterior border; the postmedial is obscure, and the more dorsal longitudinal band is also diagnostic.
Taxonomic note. The type material of the two names brought into synonymy has identical forewing facies, though that of variegata is rubbed. The forewing facies is similar to that of H. labatalis Walker (Indian Subregion, Thailand (Kononenko & Pinratana, 2005)), but in labatalis the pale band along the dorsum is broader, somewhat reddish, including at the distal margin, such that the paler submarginal is central within it rather than nearer its basal edge; the basal two thirds of the band have a more angled inner border. The pale border to the apical lens is broader, more evenly curved, and incorporates the white submarginal marks. The facies of kanshireiensis Wileman & South (Taiwan) is almost identical to that of abjectalis. In the female genitalia, the corpus bursae in labatalis is almost twice as long as that in abjectalis; in kanshireiensis it is distinctly shorter. However, the male genitalia of the three species are very similar. The identity of the species recorded for Australia as labatalis in Nielsen et al. (1996) needs further investigation. It may well refer to H. meeki Bethune-Baker comb. n., a species with similar facies from New Guinea; it is listed by Poole (1989) under Rhynchina Guenée, the genus of original description, but excluded by Mayerl & Lödl (1999) in their revision of Rhynchina. The male genitalia are typical of Hypena.
Geographical range. Borneo, Sumatra (Lödl, 1999e; as kanshireiensis), Java, Peninsular Malaysia, Philippines.
Habitat preference. This is probably a lowland species but has only been recorded in recent surveys by S.J. Willott (unpublished) who sampled three specimens in undisturbed lowland forest at the Danum Valley Field Station in Sabah, and very few of the older specimens from Borneo have precise data. Material from Kuching suggests an ability to tolerate human disturbance.
Biology. The larva of labatalis (see above) was reared by Bell (MS) in India. It is spindle-shaped, constricted at the segment divisions. The prolegs of A3 are absent, those of A4 equal in size to those on A5 and A6.
