Cerynea melanocephala Wileman & West comb. rev.

Cerynea melanocephala Wileman & West, 1929, Novit. zool. 35: 12.

Diagnosis

See C. omphisalis.

Taxonomic note

Poole (1989) transferred this species to Catoblemma Hampson without explanation, despite its current placement in Cerynea, its original genus,  in the BMNH curation. There are slight differences in male genitalia between Bornean material and the unique holotype (slide 21606). In the latter, the uncus apex tapers more to an acute spine. The processes at the base of the valve differ slightly; typically the longer process is more sinuous and the shorter one is only one third the length of the longer, i.e. smaller than in Bornean material. The valve costa in typical melanocephala is more concave. Confirmation of the conspecificity of the two populations must await acquisition of further material from the Philippines.

Geographical range

Philippines (Luzon), Borneo.

Habitat preference

In recent surveys melanocephala has not been recorded above 200m and has been taken in lowland forest (four specimens) and singly in disturbed coastal forest and an Acacia mangium plantation; the last is a voucher for six recorded in lowland softwood plantations in Sabah by Chey (1994). At the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah (S.J. Willott, unpublished data), five specimens were taken in the understorey of primary forest and one in logged forest at about 170m. Conceivably some of these specimens could have been omphisalis. There is an old specimen of melanocephala from Bidi in Sarawak.

Genitalia: