Chasmina candida Walker

Arbasera candida Walker, 1865, List lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 32:638.

Chinophlebia sericea Hampson, 1893, Illustr. typical Specimens Lepid. Het. Br. Mus., 9:21.

Diagnosis

The male has the forewing costa concave, and the apex is much squarer than in the other species. Neither sex has black dots on the wing margins, but reference to genitalic characters is probably advisable for reliable identification. The valves are short and apically rounded.

Biology

The species has been reared in the Solomons from Hibiscus tiliaceus by M. Bigger.

Taxonomic Note

Leong (2010h) has described and illustrated the mature larva and pupation of Chasmina candida in Singapore. The larva is a pale greyish green with a narrow, pale yellowish subdorsal stripe running from T1 to the anal prolegs on each side. There are black dots within a slightly expanded part of the subdorsal stripes near the posterior of each of T2 and T3. The short primary setae arise from small white chalazae. The prolegs of A3 and A4 are equally reduced to small stumps with a remnant ring of crochets. The prepupal larva turns a rich fuchsia and spins loose silk around itself. When collecting the larva, Leong caused it to dislodge itself and descend to the ground, consistent with the bagisarine escape reaction described in Part 13. The host plant was Hibiscus tiliaceus (Malvaceae), a coastal and back mangrove species.

Genitalia: