Aporandria specularia Guenée

Geometra specularia Guenée, 1857, Hist. nat Insectes, Spec. gen. Lep . 9 :342.

Aporandria specularia haplograpta Prout, 1922, Bull. Hill Mus., Witley, 1 :253.

Aporandria specularia Guenée; Holloway, 1976: 61.

Diagnosis

The size, in combination with the yellow basal zone and dull pink and red discal mark of the hindwing, distinguish this species.

Geographical range

Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Andamans, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Philippines, Sulawesi.

Habitat preference

This is a lowland species found in both forested and disturbed or cultivated areas.

During the Mulu survey it was found more frequently in forest on limestone.

Biology

The larva was described fully and illustrated by Moore (1847) and described in detail by Bell (MS) and Singh (1953). It is slender, the body green, the head strongly bifid and with the true legs pale purplish red with darker spots.

Early instars are dark yellow.

The larva adopts a twig-like posture when at rest.

Bell mentioned association with ants of the genus Oecophylla in some instances.

It is a leaf (Singh) and flower feeder (Kuroko & Lewvanich, 1993). The egg (Bell, MS) is a thick, elongate-oval disc-shape with vertical sides.

The top is slightly convex with a rim like a pie-crust, light green with the rim pure white.

Pupation is in a folded leaf secured by silk.

Host-plants noted by the authors above and in unpublished IIE records are Mangifera (Anacardiaceae), Terminalia (Combretaceae), Eugenia (Myrtaceae), Areca (Palmae), Rhizophora (Rhizophoraceae) and Nephelium (Sapindaceae).

Genitalia: