Eilema fasciculosa Walker

Lithosia fasciculosa Walker, 1862, J. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), 6: 105.

Nishada testacea Rothschild, 1912, Novit. zool., 19: 217.

Diagnosis and taxonomic note

The shape and colour of the wings of this species are similar to those of typical Nishadasuch as nodicornis, though lacking the brown apical mark of the forewing underside. The costal zone of the male hindwing is separated off by a ridge of scales that interacts with patches of thicker scaling on the underside of the forewing, and the dorsum also is thickly scaled, pale dull orange (Fig 2d). The venation of both wings is atypical of Nishada, and more typical of Eilema sensu lato, with the radial sector triple branch with the terminal bifurcation anterior rather than posterior, and the angles of the hindwing cell each giving rise to bifurcate systems (single veins in Nishada). The male antennae are ciliate but lack such extensive dense scaling as seen in typical Nishada. The male abdomen lacks structures on the third tergite, and the valves are more entire, though cleft ventrally to make the apical portion into a kind of cucullus. The aedeagus vesica has two serrate, semicircular structures. The female has a thickened, irregularly corrugated, pyriform corpus bursae, with two small scobinate signa in the less heavily thickened distal part. E. griseoflava Rothschild is a closely related species from the Philippines. The placement of both taxa needs further study.

Genitalia: