Ericeia elongata Prout

Ericeia elongata Prout, 1929, Bull. Hill Mus. Witley, 3: 117.

Ericeia elongata fuscipuncta Prout, 1929, Bull. Hill Mus. Witley, 3: 118.

Ericeia elongata nauarchia Prout, 1929, Bull. Hill Mus. Witley, 3: 118.

Ericeia acutangula Roepke, 1932, Mém. Mus. r. Hist. nat. Belg. IV, 6 (hors serie): 91.

Diagnosis

This species and the next are the smallest Bornean members of the genus, but elongatais a generally greyer brown with the forewings slightly narrower.

Taxonomic note

Galsworthy (1997) recognised that two species were involved in old concepts of E. subcinerea Snellen. This species was included as a good species and as a synonym of inangulata Guenée by Poole (1989), and with the latter status by Nielsen et al. (1996). It was kept distinct, with elongata and acutangula as synonyms, in the curatorial arrangement in BMNH as noted by Galsworthy (1997). Galsworthy found clear differences in the male genitalia of type material of subcinereaand acutangulafrom Sulawesi, which also occurred in the two species he was investigating in Hong Kong. Externally, acutangula has the hindwing margin more angled at CuA2. In the genitalia, subcinerea shows more asymmetry in valve shape, and has three small diverticula on the basal part of the aedeagus vesica rather than one digitate one. Examination here of the genitalia of elongata and its subspecies shows them to be of the acutangulatype rather than as in subcinerea, therefore this name must take priority over acutangula. Oriental specimens to as far east as Sundaland tend to have a larger spined subbasal lobe to the long diverticulum of the vesica. The next species also has a very similar aedeagus vesica to elongata. No specimen referable to subcinereahas yet been located from localities between Sulawesi and Hong Kong.

Geographical range

Indo-Australian tropics to New Guinea, Queensland.

Habitat preference

All records have been from lowland forest, including heath and alluvial forest, the highest being from 900m and most from below 200m.

Biology

Robinson et al. noted Acacia (Leguminosae) as a host plant for subcinerea, an unpublished IIE record provided by the author. The provenance of the record was Peninsular Malaysia, hence it is likely to apply to elongata.

Genitalia: