Aedia olivacea Walker comb. n.

Idicara olivacea Walker, [1863] 1864, J. Proc. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), 7: 172.

Catephia thricophora Hampson, 1894, Fauna Br.India, Moths, 2: 483.

Diagnosis

This and the next species are the largest in the genus and have very similar facies.

Males in both have prominent tufts of scales on the hind‑tibia and on the hindwing dorsum, the latter tending to be more prominent in lobata Prout, which also has a more prominent, falcate tail at the dorsum.

The forewings in lobata are generally darker, richer, more indigo and green in tint, and the postmedial is more more regularly curved, slightly beaded.

The male genitalia have the dorsal extensions of the tegumen apically rounded in olivacea but shorter, obliquely angular and marginally blackened at the apex in lobata. The valves are shorter relative to the tegumen and uncus in lobata. The aedeagus of lobata is more slender, and the part basal to the ductus ejaculatorius is relatively longer; the apical spur is only half the size of that of olivacea.

Taxonomic Notes

Prout, in her description of the next species, indicated that Hampson considered thricophora Hampson (t. loc. Burma) to be a synonym of olivacea, but Poole (1989) listed it as a distinct species.

The former opinion is accepted here.

Geographical range

Borneo, Burma, Sri Lanka, Java, Bali, Sulawesi.

Habitat preference

The holotype was taken by A.R. Wallace in Sarawak, probably in the lowlands.

There is also a specimen from Samarinda in the lowlands of Kalimantan.

In recent surveys, singletons have been taken at 100m on the edge of lowland forest at the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah and at 1465m on Bukit Retak in Brunei.