Argina astrea Drury 

Phalaena (Noctua) astrea Drury, 1773, Illust. nat. Hist. ext. Insects, 2 :11, pl. 6.

Phalaena cribraria Clerck, 1764, Icon. Insect. rariorum, 2: p1. (54), praeocc (Watson, Fletcher

& Nye, 1980: 17).

Bombyx pylotis Fabricius, 1775, Syst. Ent. : 585.

Deiopea dulcis Walker, 1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 2: 569.

Diagnosis

The orange-yellow forewings with black spots render this species unmistakable.

Geographical Range

Indo-Australian tropics and into the Pacific to Palau, Guam and Tahiti.

Habitat Preference

Most Bornean material has been taken in open habitats in the lowlands.

Biology

The life history is described in Robinson (1975: 105). The eggs are spherical, pale green, laid in rows of 3-15 on the upper midrib of a leaf of the host-plant. The young larvae feed on leaves, older ones on the seed pods. When fully grown the head of the larva is reddish brown, the body black with white intersegmental rings that contain broken black transverse lines. These rings are preceded by transverse white bars dorsally on A1-6, with dots in front of these on A3-6. The prothorax has a dorsal, longitudinal white streak. The spiracles are set in orange patches. There are secondary setae on blue-black verrucae. The host-plants are species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae).

Genitalia: