Corgatha semipardata Walker

Guriauna semipardata Walker, 1862, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 24: 1101.

Diagnosis

This, C. nigripalpis and C. tonralis have very similar facies of dull orange red with blackish fasciation, discal marks and conspicuous blotches. The fasciae are generally fine, crenate and indistinct, only the postmedials being conspicuous; they can also include greyish edging. The blotches are prominent at the tornus of each wing where they are usually divided by a crenate fascia of ground colour in the submarginal position. There is also a marginal blotch on the forewing one third from the apex about half the size of the tornal blotch. In semipardata, the largest species of the three, the ground colour is most intense, orange to orange-pink. The postmedials are distinctly crenate on both surfaces of each wing. The species is also more likely than the others to have white spots on the forewing costa at the positions of the antemedial and medial fasciae. Identification of all the species is best confirmed from the male genitalia. In semipardata the central process of the valve is distinctly ampullate, club-like and the costal one has an even, gentle curve, its apex acute and reaching that of the valve itself.

Taxonomic note

Two males of semipardata from Peninsular Malaysia dissected had the costal process of the valve slightly shorter and more abruptly curved at the apex. As well as the three species found in Borneo, there are many other species in the group, several undescribed. C. binotata Warren occurs in Java and is more lightly marked but with prominent white spots on the forewing costa; the genitalia have a long, mostly straight costal process to the valve, extending well beyond the valve apex. In Bali there is a species where this process is twice as broad, apically bifid, and much shorter than the valve apex (slide 20683). In India there is a species externally similar to semipardata but with a much larger, rather scalpel-like central process to the valve, with the curved costal process extending beyond the valve apex (slide 20684). C. bipunctata Bethune-Baker stat. rev. (= griseiplaga Bethune-Baker; New Guinea) has facies somewhat as in binotata, but the central valve process is extremely short and broad, and the costal process terminates well short of the valve apex.