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Orgyia
postica Walker
Lacida postica Walker, 1855, List Specimens lepid. Insects
Colln Br. Mus., 4: 803.
Orgyia ceylanica Neitner, 1862, Edinb. New phil. J., (N.S.) 15:
34.
Orgyia nebulosa Walker, 1862, J. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), 6:125,
syn. n.
Orgyia ludekingii Snellen, 1879, Tijdschr. Ent., 22: 104.
Orgyia ocularis Moore, 1879, Descr. new Indian lepid.
Insects Colln. W.S. Atkinson: 44.
Diagnosis. The male forewing postmedial and antemedial are distinctly indicated in
black against the dark brown of the forewing, except towards the dorsum, and
between them the pallid outline of the discal spot may be evident. The female is
wingless.
Taxonomic notes. This species is closely related to O. australis Walker in
Australia. Riotte (1979) also distinguished O. papuana Riotte from
Australia and New Guinea, noting that it differed from postica in male
genitalic features. The genitalia slide of the type of postica has
features such as a triangular process on the dorsal arm of the valve that are
seen in the next species, osseata Walker, but not in other Oriental
specimens of postica examined. It is likely that the wrong abdomen has
been associated with the type of postica and that therefore papuana may
be its eastern race, replaced by australis in southern Queensland and New
South Wales. There are also similar species in Africa. The type of nebulosa Walker (Sarawak) does not appear to differ from postica. The
identity of the somewhat larger Sumatran species with a more produced forewing
apex referred to nebulosa by Schintlmeister (1994) requires
investigation.
Geographical range. Oriental tropics and east to New Guinea.
Habitat preference. The species is common in the lowlands, often in
cultivated areas such as plantations, but also in coastal, swamp and heath
forests.
Biology. The larva has been described and illustrated frequently, the latter by
Murphy (1990), Wang (1993) and Kuroko & Lewvanich (1993). The head, legs and
prolegs are pale red. The body is longitudinally banded in dark brown and, more
narrowly, pale yellow, with the anterior and posterior hair tufts bundled dark
brown. The four dorsal brushes are conspicuously pale yellow, the first two
accompanied by lateroventral white pencils on each side.
The list of host-plants is very long, and the larva probably has a much
wider dietary range. It is drawn from Sevastopulo (1938, 1940), Pholboon (1965),
Browne (1968), Yunus & Ho (1980), Kuroko & Lewvanich (1993),
Hutacherern & Tubtim (1995) and various unpublished sources (Bell, MS; FRIM
and IIE records). It includes Buchanania, Mangifera (Anacardiaceae); Durio,
Ochroma (Bombacaceae); Casuarina (Casuarinaceae); Terminalia (Combretaceae);
Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae); Hevea, Ricinus (Euphorbiaceae); Pelargonium
(Geraniaceae); Cinnamomum (Lauraceae); Acacia, Albizia, Caesalpinia,
Cajanus, Cassia, Dalbergia, Erythrina, Pithecellobium, Pterocarpus,
Sesbania, Xylia, (Leguminosae); Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae); Eucalyptus,
Tristania (Myrtaceae); Zizyphus (Rhamnaceae); Malus (Rosaceae);
Coffea (Rubiaceae); Citrus (Rutaceae); Santalum (Santalaceae);
Dimocarpus, Litchi, Nephelium (Sapindaceae); Theobroma (Sterculiaceae);
Camellia (Theaceae); Grewia (Tiliaceae); Tectona (Verbenaceae).
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