Eublemma dimidialis Fabricius

Phalaena dimidialis Fabricius, 1794, Ent. Syst. III, 2: 224.

Anthophila secta Guenée, 1852, Hist. Nat. Insectes, Spec. gén. Lépid., 6: 249.

Micra hemirhoda Walker, 1865, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 33: 799.

Anthophila roseifascia Walker, 1865, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 33: 803.

Thalpochares adulans Felder & Rogenhofer 1874, Reise öst. Fregatte Novara, pl. 108, f. 11.

Thalpochares basilissa Meyrick, 1891, Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust., 14: 196.

Diagnosis

Both this and E. accedens have forewings that are pale yellow over the basal half and banded with deep pink and dark green distally. The sharp and white-edged boundary between the two zones is more oblique in dimidialis, and the green band at the centre of the distal pink area is more clearly defined. E. accedens is distinguished also by the presence of a very fine marginal white line.

Taxonomic note

This is the type species of Polyorycta Warren, but was placed in Eublemma by Poole (1989).

Geographical range

Indo-Australian tropics to Japan and east to New Guinea and Australia.

Habitat preference

The only specimens taken in recent surveys are one from disturbed lowland forest at Semongok near Kuching and two (Chey, 1994) from lowland secondary forest near Brumas in Sabah. Older material seen is labelled only ‘Borneo’.

Biology

Robinson et al. (2001) recorded the larva as feeding on flowers and pods of Sorghum, Zea (Gramineae), Cajanus, Flemingia and Vigna (Leguminosae).

Genitalia: