Calliteara horsfieldii Saunders

Arctia horsfieldii Saunders, 1851, Trans. ent. Soc. London, 1851: 162.

Dasychira arga Moore, [1860] 1858-9, Cat. Lepid. Insects Mus. E. Ind. Co ., 2: 339.

Dasychira longipennis Walker, 1862, J. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), 6:131.

Lymantria inhonorata Hopffer, 1874, Stettin. ent. Ztg, 35 : 44.

Dasychira horsfieldi queenslandica Strand, 1915, Gross-Schmett. Erde, 10: 293.

Dasychira horsfieldii Saunders; Holloway, 1976: 50

Diagnosis

Males occur in two forms: with uniform grey forewings or with forewings darker grey distal to the antemedial. The antemedial is strongly curved with the concavity basad, whereas in Calliteara cerigoides Walker, cerigoides Walker, which also has a yellow hindwing, it is angled distad, and has a bluish grey band associated with it. The female of horsfleldii is mainly white, with only faint markings on the forewing, whereas cerigoides has the forewing heavily irrorated and fasciated with brown, and there is a yellowish tinge to the hindwing.

Geographical range

Thailand, Sundaland, Sulawesi, S. Moluccas, Dammer, Tenimber, New Guinea.

Habitat preference

The species has been recorded from the lowlands to as high as 2600m on G. Kinabalu, with the variant with the uniform forewing pattern tending to predominate at higher altitudes.

Biology

The larva is a striking pale yellow with the usual row of brushes dorsally. The intersegmental membrane in this region is black. The secondary setae are conspicuous and very much longer than the dorsal brushes. The larva is illustrated by Barlow (1982) and Chey (1996).

Host-plant records include (Pholboon, 1965; Browne, 1968; Barlow, 1982; Kuroko & Lewvanich, 1993; Hutacherern & Tubtim, 1995; Chey, 1996; unpublished IIE and FRIM records):

• Anacardium, Mangifera (Anacardiaceae)
• Casuarina (Casuarinaceae)
• Brassica (Cruciferae)
• Dipterocarpus, Hopea,Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae)
• Acacia, Cassia, Erythrina, Pterocarpus, Tamarindus (Leguminosae)
• Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae)
• Ficus (Moraceae)
• Eucalyptus,Eugenia, Psidium, Syzygium (Myrtaceae)
• Pinus (Pinaceae)
• Rosa (Rosaceae).

Taxonomic notes

Leong & D’Rozario (2009d) described and illustrated the mature larva of Calliteara horsfieldii in Singapore. It is a much paler yellow than that illustrated by Barlow (1982). An early instar has been illustrated by Chung et al. (2008). It lacks the dorsal brushes seen in the mature larva. Chung et al. added Octomeles (Datiscaceae) to the recorded host plants.

Taxonomic Note

Leong & D’Rozario (2009d) described and illustrated the mature larva of Calliteara horsfieldii in Singapore. It is a much paler yellow than that illustrated by Barlow (1982). An early instar has been illustrated by Chung et al. (2008). It lacks the dorsal brushes seen in the mature larva. Chung et al. added Octomeles (Datiscaceae) to the recorded host plants.

Genitalia: