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Lyssa
menoetius Hopffer
Nyctalemon menoetius Hopffer,
1856, Neue Schmett. Samml. Mus. Univ. Berlin, 2: 2.
Nyctalemon hector Walker, 1856, List Specimens lepid. Insects
Colln Br. Mus., 7:1771.
Nyctalemon longicaudus Schaufuss,
1870, Nunquam Otiosus, 1: 13.
Nyctalemon menoetius sspp.
celebensis and adspersus Regteren Altena, 1953: 22-24.
Lyssa
menoetius  |
Lyssa
menoetius |
Lyssa
menoetius mature larva |
 |
Diagnosis. See Lyssa zampa
Butler.
Taxonomic notes. Regteren Altena (1953, 1959) noted two subspecies in Borneo. The
typical race is found in most of Borneo and extends to the Philippines and
Sangir whereas ssp. adspersus is restricted to a narrow zone along the
east coast of Kalimantan (Sangkulirang - Samarinda - Balikpapan). The males of adspersus
have the white bands of the forewing narrower and more suffused with grey.
Geographical range. Borneo, Philippines, Sangir; Sulawesi (ssp. celebensis).
Two specimens have also been taken recently in the extreme south of
Thailand, near the border with Malaysia, by I.J. Kitching.
Habitat preference. All records are from lowland forest. Chey (1994), in
his survey of lowland softwood plantations, only recorded the species in any
frequency from secondary forest and a Eucalyptus deglupta plantation with
a diverse secondary forest understorey.
Biology. The larva has been reared in Borneo by D.C. Lees, and is illustrated
above. When mature, it is black with a dull orange head and prolegs. There
are narrow white rings and transverse bars irregularly along the body as
illustrated.
The wild host-plants were Omphalea bracteata and O. sargentii, though
the larva would accept Endospermum peltatum in captivity.
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