Asota plana Walker

Asota plana Walker, 1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 2: 450.

Asota plana Walker; Holloway, 1976: 5; Barlow, 1982: 76.

Diagnosis

This and the next species have broad white wedges in the forewings. That in plana is more irregular, with an almost detached or detached white spot distal to the disc; this spot is confluent with the wedge in albiformis. In plana the harpe is large, diagnostically bifid.

Taxonomic notes

There are a number of synonyms and named races of plana. Bornean material is referable to ssp. albitera Felder, described from Sulawesi.

Geographical range

Oriental tropics east to New Guinea.

Habitat preference

This species is infrequent, perhaps most often encountered at around 1000m but ranging from the lowlands to 1900m.

Biology

The larva and pupa were illustrated by Horsfield & Moore (1858-9). The larva is blackish, with each segment ringed posteriorly with pale yellow. The prothorax and anterior of the mesothorax are more broadly pale yellow (reddish in Sri Lankan larva preserved in the BMNH and in illustration in Sugi (1987)). The primary setae are long. The host-plant was given as Ficus (Moraceae). Bell (MS) made similar observations on the southern Indian race, recording it from several Ficus species. The eggs are laid in batches and the larvae are gregarious. The larvae feed on young leaves when small but take older ones when larger. They rest on the underside of the leaf.

Genitalia: