Lebeda cognata Grunberg

Lebeda cognata Grunberg, 1913, Ent. Rundsch., 30:103.

Lebeda cognata Grunberg; Holloway, 1976: 89; Lajonquière, 1979: 691; Barlow, 1982: 50

Diagnosis

The striking two-tone ground colour of the forewing is distinctive in the male, and the course of the curved boundary of the two zones is faintly evident in the female; the female is distinguished from the next two species in being larger and having a crescent-shaped white discal spot.

Taxonomic Notes

The species agnata Tams from Peninsular Malaysia is smaller and darker overall in the male.

The Himalayan and Chinese nobilis Walker extends to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java but has the forewing dark zone restricted to a diffuse streak through the discal spot by a pale lens-shaped area along the costa.

Geographical range

Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra.

Habitat preference

The species is frequent in lowland rainforest. *Biology.

L. nobilis* is polyphagous on dicotyledonous trees and conifers and has been noted especially from genera of economic importance such as Pinus (Pinaceae) and Quercus (Fagaceae). L. cognata is likely to have a similarly wide range of diet, but was noted from Trema (Urticaceae), Citrus (Rutaceae) and Rosa (Rosaceae). The fully grown larva was illustrated by Barlow (1982). It is a pale ashy grey with darker grey reticulation, the lateral protruberances being adorned with hair-like and spatulate setae of pale grey.

The meso- and metathorax have transverse ridges of black setae, that of the metathorax larger.

Early instars are black, scarlet and white with black hair pencils, and middle instars are dark brown.

Genitalia: