Eublemma accedens Felder & Rogenhofer stat. rev.

Thalpochares accedens Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874, Reise öst. Fregatte Novara, pl. 108.

Thalpochares divisa Moore, 1881, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1881: 371.

Thalpochares leonata Butler, 1886, Trans. ent. Soc. London, 1886: 404.

Diagnosis

See E. dimidialis.

Taxonomic note

This species is very closely related to the African E. anachoresis Wallengren, and has been treated as a synonym thereof (e.g. Poole, 1989; Nielsen et al., 1996; Fibiger & Hacker, 2002). However, it was found to be distinct by the late A.H. Hayes (unpublished), and it also occurs in Africa. It was listed as a good species by Wiltshire (1990), probably on the advice of Hayes, but without comment to that effect. The differences are in the genitalia. Males of anachoresis have a much longer and more triangular setose process to the valve. Females have the basal sclerotised part of the ductus bursae one third to as half as long again as in accedens, but narrower and slightly fluted. The species pair was included in Eublemma by Poole (1989).

Geographical range

E. Africa (slide 10329), Saudi Arabia (Wiltshire, 1990), Indo-Australian tropics to Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji.

Habitat preference

Bornean material seen consists of a singleton from Tambunan in the lowlands of Sabah, and two from coastal and secondary vegetation at Anduki in Brunei.

Biology

Bell reared the species in India. The larva is typical of the genus in loss of prolegs on A3-4. The head is round, slightly bilobed, brownish orange with white stripes, other markings and setae. The body is glossy, the segments clearly defined. The setae are on white chalazae and are white themselves. The colour of the body is dark green with dense, subcutaneous white spotting, with lateral maroon patches above the spiracles or their position from T2 to A7. Early instars are white, thickly dappled with maroon-brown.

The larva lives in a silken cell spun amongst leaves on the plant or on the ground. Pupation is in a similar but more compact cell, the pupa being attached by its cremaster.

The host plant recorded was Waltheria indica, a rather low, decumbent pantropical plant in the Sterculiaceae. Robinson et al. (2001) also listed Oryza (rice; Gramineae).

Genitalia: