|
Melanothrix
nymphaliaria Walker
Gnophos nymphaliaria Waker, 1866, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br.
Mus.,
35: 1598.
Melanothrix pulchricolor Felder, 1874, in Felder & Rogenhofer, Reise
oest.
Fregatte Novara (Zool.) 2 (Abt. 2), p. 194: 2.
Euterote (sic) coryna Swinhoe, 1893, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7), 12: 211.
Melanothrix atropurpurea Aurivillius, 1894, Ent. Tidskr. 15: 172.
ssp. albidior Rothschild.
Melanothrix albidior Rothschild, 1910, Novit. zool. 17: 463.
Melanothrix radiata Grunberg, 1914, Ent. Rundschau 31: 21, syn. n.
Melanthrix leucotrigona sundaensis Holloway, 1976: 54, syn. n.
Diagnosis. The male is distinguished by an almost triangular patch (lacking
in the typical subspecies) of white on the forewing costa postmedially that has
a straight exterior margin (crenulate in the next species). The female has the
basal black patch of the forewing with a central extension that almost reaches
the marginal black area.
Taxonomic notes. This species is closely related to M. leucotrigona Hampson
(nicevillei
Hampson and intermedia Rothschild are races) from Burma, the Mergui Is. and
Peninsular Malaysia. M. leucotrigona has a more extended, ventrally somewhat
serrate lower apical process to the valve and lacks a ventral swelling on the
dorsal process in the male genitalia, and a triangular sclerotised ductus bursae
in the female genitalia. The taxon radiata Grunberg has the marginal black
border broken by white along the veins to a greater extent than in the female
illustrated, but is identical in genitalia to albidior.
Geographical range. Java, Sumatra, Borneo; ?Philippines.
Habitat preference. The males have been taken infrequently in lowland forest,
perhaps with a preference for alluvial and kerangas forest types: one was taken
at 1620m on G. Kinabalu, and a female was taken at a similar altitude by day.
<<Back
>>Forward <<Return
to Contents page
|
