Chundana lugubris Walker

Chundana lugubris Walker, 1862, J. Proc. Linn. Soc. (Zool.) 6 :117.

Diagnosis

This is a small grey species with darker black spots on the wings much as in acontiine noctuids of the genus Metaemene Hampson (see Barlow, 1982). The greyish colour, typically uraniid forewing venation and, in the male, a foveate structure at the forewing base, are diagnostic.

Taxonomic Notes

The species differs from C. assimilis Warren stat. rev. (Moluccas to Queensland and Solomons) in having a more punctate black forewing marginal angle, a strong black spot at the forewing dorsum on the postmedial and generally much weaker fasciation on both wings.

In the male genitalia the uncus is shorter and the valves deeper, with the double spine set slightly more basally.

A third specimen of Chundana lugubris Walker (noctuid slide 20286) has been located, taken at Bidi in the lowlands of Sarawak. A new species has been located in the form of one specimen from the Semongok locality where one of the previous lugubris specimens was collected, and is described below. Both had been misplaced amongst material of the noctuid genus Metaemene Walker, treated in Part 13.

Geographical range

Borneo.

Habitat preference

Only two specimens are known: the holotype collected by A.R. Wallace in the lowlands of Sarawak; a more recent specimen (1976) from Semengok near Kuching.

Genitalia: