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Artaxa digramma Boisduval
comb. n.
Bombyx
digramma Boisduval,
1844, in Guérin-Ménéville, Iconographie du Règne Animal de G.
Cuvier, Insectes: 508.
Artaxa
sastra Moore, [1860] 1858-9, Cat. Lepid. Insects Mus. E. Ind. Co., 2: 351.
Diagnosis. The wings are yellow, the hindwing paler than the forewing, the latter
with two pale fasciae medially (the space between them is shaded greyish towards
the dorsum in some specimens). The black spots towards the apex of the forewing
are diagnostic, though similar facies is seen in the Indian type species of Artaxa:
this is possibly only a synonym of digramma.
Geographical range. Sundaland.
Habitat preference. The only Bornean specimen seen is from Kilanas
Agricultural Station in the lowlands of Brunei.
Biology. As stated above, records of biology and host-plants for digramma and
guttata are probably confused in the literature, and the two taxa may be
conspecific. Therefore this information is combined here.
An Indian larva attributed to digramma was described by
Sevastopulo (1946). The head and body are black, with a dorsal white line on T1
dividing into subdorsal lines posteriorly. There is a white sublateral line. A1
and A2 each have a double dorsal hump with dark brown pubescence. Less prominent
humps with longer brownish hairs occur on A3 and A4. The verrucae are sometimes
ringed rufous (on A5 to A7), and usually have black or greyish setae. The dorsal
glands on A6 and A7 are white.
Host records (Sevastopulo; Browne, 1968; Kuroko & Lewvanich, 1993;
unpublished IIE records) include: Mangifera (Anacardiaceae); Anogeissus,
Terminalia (Combretaceae); Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae); Lagerstroemia
(Lythraceae); Melastoma (Melastomataceae); Litchi (Sapindaceae).
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