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Micromelalopha cornutuncus sp. n.
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Micromelalopha cornutuncus 
(holotype)
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15 mm. The forewings are deep dull red with diffuse yellower patches;
the postmedial is irregularly wavy, faint, pale grey, running obliquely, roughly
parallel to the margin; the antemedial is similar but less irregular and wavy,
angled obtusely basad centrally, but the oblique line of the anterior half is
continued faintly to the dorsum by a faint additional dark line. The species
resembles M. celebesa Tams stat. & comb. n. from Sulawesi and
is probably the sister species, but differs in several characteristics of the
male genitalia: the uncus bears two acute processes with subsidiary spines
rather than being broadly bilobed; the basal process of the valve costa is
small, acute, rather than a flap running ventrad; the central process of the
valve is larger, more irregular, more broadly based; the corrugate zone of the
sacculus is much longer and more expanded.
Holotype . SARAWAK: Gunong Mulu Nat. Park. R. G. S. Exped. 1977 - 8 (J. D.
Holloway et al.), Site 8, February, Camp 1, Mulu, 150 m, 385470, mixed dipt.
for., BM notodontid slide 1148.
Taxonomic notes. The generic name Erythroclostera Kiriakoff (1968) has been
applied to taxa related to this and the next species but in facies these are
very similar to troglodyta Graeser, the type species of Micromelalopha
Nagano. The male genitalia of Erythroclostera taxa are more massive
than those of troglodyta and several have apical and central processes to
the valves that might be used to define the genus, but they share with those of troglodyta
the coremata from the valve sacculus, perhaps unique in Oriental
Notodontidae, and a linear central thickening to the male eighth sternite.
Because these possibly derived characters are shared and because the
relationships of taxa within the complex have yet to be studied, Erythroclostera
is here placed as a synonym of Micromelalopha, syn. n.
The male genitalia illustrated by Kiriakoff (1968) as being of the type
species of Erythroclostera, castanea Rothschild, are in fact those of celebesa
Tams from Sulawesi. M. celebesa is here treated as a species distinct
from M. leucorhetha Tams comb. n. (Singapore, Sumatra) rather than as a
subspecies, as celebesa lacks the large serrate triangular process of the
valve costa of leucorhetha. M. castanea Rothschild is probably known only
from the holotype female from New Guinea, and the record of it from Sulawesi by
Kiriakoff (1968) arises probably through confusion with celebesa. The
specimen of castanea has much deeper forewings than the female of celebesa
and relatively smaller genitalia with the bursa copulatrix much more
coarsely scobinate.
Geographical range. Borneo.
Habitat preference. The only record was from mixed dipterocarp forest.
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