Comostola laesaria Walker

Iodis laesaria Walker, 1861, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus., 22: 544.

Eucrostis perlepidaria Walker, 1866, Ibid., 35: 1610.

Diagnosis

The first five species discussed here have similar pale blue-green facies and modified forewing venation (see generic account). C. laesaria is the smallest, with the postmedials strongly red, punctate, the spots only present on the dorsum, in the space anterior to CuA1, and, smaller, on veins R5 and M1. All these species are most reliably distinguished on male genitalic characters as illustrated.

Geographical range

Widespread in Indo-Australian tropics from Sri Lanka, India and Taiwan to N. Australia and Bismarcks.

Habitat preference

Most material seen is from lowland forest, but one specimen was taken at 900m on G. Api.

Biology

Bell (MS) described the larva in S. India.

It is cylindrical, usually in a highly looped posture.

The colour is pale greenish white, with a fine darker dorsal line and a roseate tinge to the anal flaps.

However, Bigger (1988) referred to a brown larva with rather rough appearance for this species in the Solomons The larva hides in the flowers of the host-plant, feeding on them.

Pupation is in a light silken cocoon incorporating plant fragments, the pupa attached by the tail.

Bell noted Memecylon (Melastomataceae) and Buchanania (Anacardiaceae) as host-plants.

The species has been recorded as feeding as a larva on Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) flowers in Australia (Balciunas et al., 1993), and on those of Dimocarpus (Sapindaceae) and Mangifera (Anacardiaceae) in Thailand (Kuroko & Lewvanich, 1993). The host-plant recorded by Bigger in the Solomons is Terminalia (Combretaceae).

Genitalia: