Gunda subnotata Walker comb. n.

Bombyx subnotata Walker, 1859, J., Linn. Soc.Lond. (Zool.) 3: 188.

Hanisa subnotata Walker; Moore, 1879, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1879: 406.

Diagnosis

Males are the smallest, darkest, most reddish brown and most uniform amongst the three Bornean species but with a pale discal spot on the forewing and medial fasciation that is only strong at the dorsum. The paler female also shows this latter feature and is also more reddish than females of the other species. The forewings are not falcate, and there is a pale grey patch at the angle of the centre of the margin.

Taxonomic Notes

Features of the male genitalia accord with the definition of Gunda so this species, the type species of Hanisa Moore, is combined with that genus, with consequent synonymy of Hanisa.

Micrattacus sesostris Vuillot (1893, Bull. Soc. ent. France, p. 23) was described from a male in the Staudinger Collection from Labuan I., Borneo, collected by Waterstradt in 1890. The genus Micrattacus Walker is now restricted to the Neotropics, and sesostris was not referred to by Lemaire (2002) in his review of the genus. Seitz (1928, Gross‑Schmett. Erde 10: 517) listed the species, repeating the description in detail, but had not seen any material, stating that it was very unlikely that a genuine Micrattacus should exist in Borneo. The original description is parsimonious, without an illustration, but the only Micrattacus‑like Bornean species that is of the correct size and where the male generally matches the description is Gunda subnotata Walker. Attempts to locate the original material amongst the Staudinger Collection in MNHU, Berlin, have so far been unsuccessful. I am grateful to Wolfgang Nässig for drawing my attention to this mysterious Bornean taxon.

Micrattacus sesostris Vuillot (1893, Bull. Soc. ent. France, p. 23) was described from a male in the Staudinger Collection from Labuan I., Borneo, collected by Waterstradt in 1890. The genus Micrattacus Walker is now restricted to the Neotropics, and sesostris was not referred to by Lemaire (2002) in his review of the genus. Seitz (1928, Gross‐Schmett. Erde 10: 517) listed the species, repeating the description in detail, but had not seen any material, stating that it was very unlikely that a genuine Micrattacus should exist in Borneo. The original description is parsimonious, without an illustration, but the only Micrattacus‐like Bornean species that is of the correct size and where the male generally matches the description is Gunda subnotata Walker. Attempts to locate the original material amongst the Staudinger Collection in MNHU, Berlin, have so far been unsuccessful. I am grateful to Wolfgang Nässig for drawing my attention to this mysterious Bornean taxon.

Geographical range

Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra (in coll. Bender), Borneo, Palawan.

Habitat preference

The single Bornean female was taken in the vicinity of G. Kinabalu.

Peninsular Malaysia specimens have been taken in montane localities (Genting, Cameron Highlands) but the type specimen from Singapore must have been collected in a lowland habitat.

Biology

A female in the collection of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia has extruded from its abdomen a string of four rather flattened eggs, suggesting they may be laid in rows.

Genitalia: