Bertula transcaerulea Holloway sp. n.
♂♂11-13mm, ♀♀ 10mm. The male labial palps are recurved to meet the centre of the thorax, the third segment more or less straight, with a hair pencil. The facies is somewhat as in micealis but the forewing reniform is less conspicuously dark. The postmedial band is bluer, the black lines bounding it being straighter, parallel, the band itself slightly more oblique and more distal. The band recurs over the posterior half of the hindwing. The male genitalia have the valves short, rectangular, slightly produced at each distal corner, and with a large, rectangular interior flap on the sacculus. The aedeagus vesica has a triangular diverticulum on its distal side that bears extensive coarse spining with the spines separated from each other and directed ventrally. In micealis the valve is longer, narrower, with a distinct ‘step’ at the centre of the ventral margin; the interior spur just basal to this ‘step’ may be homologous with the slender spine in transcaerulea.
Holotype ♂
Bidi, SARAWAK, 1907-1908 (C.J. Brooks), BM noctuid slide 19447.
Paratypes
- 1 ♂ as holotype
- 1 ♂ SARAWAK: Gunong Mulu Nat. Park, R.G.S. Exped. 1977-8 (J.D. Holloway et al.), Site 14, February, Camp 2.5, Mulu, 1000m. 413461, lower montane forest
- 1 ♀ BRUNEI: 3m, Seria, secondary and coastal veg., 20.11.79 (Lt. Col. M.G. Allen).
Geographical range
Borneo.
Habitat preference
The few records range from the coast to 1000m in both forested and disturbed habitats.
Genitalia:
