Areas galactina Hoeven

Chelonia galactina Hoeven, 1840, Tijdschr. natuurk. Gesch., 7 : 280.

Numenes trigonalis Vollenhoven, 1863, Tijdschr. Ent., 6 :140.

Areas cana Druce, 1899, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7) 3: 234, syn. of *trigonalis.

Pericallia galactina intermedia Rothschild, 1933, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (10), 11: 186 syn. of

*trigonalis.

Pericallia walshiae Roepke, 1938, Ent. Zeitschr. 52: 157, syn. of *galactina.

Pericallia galactina trigonalis Vollenhoven; Holloway, 1976: 4; Barlow, 1982: 74.

Diagnosis

The insect cannot be confused with any other; the reticulate black markings of the forewings and the black spots on patagia and tegulae distinguish it from Spilosoma of the ericsoni group.

Taxonomic notes

The typical race flies in Java. Subspecies trigonalis, distinguished by a reddish hindwing, is found in Sumatra. Bornean material is perhaps best referred to ssp. intermedia Rothschild, with a more orange hindwing, described from Peninsular Malaysia. This differs slightly from the arrangement of Inoue (1984).

Geographical range

N. India and S. China to Sundaland, Philippines.

Habitat preference

The species is not common. It was taken between 1200m and 2000m on G. Kinabalu and at 1500m on the limestone G. Api in Sarawak.

Taxonomic Note

Dubatolov et al. (2009) have reviewed the subspecies within Areas galactina. They placed the Bornean population in ssp. hollowayi Dubatolov, Haynes & Kishida and described two further subspecies from Indochina and S.W. China (inouei Dubatolov, Haynes & Kishida) and the Philippines, including Palawan (owadai Dubatolov, Haynes & Kishida).