Lophomilia striatipurpurea Holloway

Lophomilia striatipurpurea Holloway, 1976: 16.

Diagnosis

The forewing is typical of the genus, with shades of purple, rufous and black with paler striae along the medial veins and an oblique pale bar at one third on the costa between the antemedial and postmedial. Both these fasciae are angled subcostally, the postmedial very long, oblique and sinuous posterior to this angle, which is close to the apex of the wing.

Geographical range

Borneo.

Habitat preference

The type material consists of one specimen from 1620m and four from 1930m on G. Kinabalu. One further individual was taken in upper montane forest at 1790m on G. Mulu.

Taxonomic Note

Kononenko & Behounek (2009) published a comprehensive treatment of Lophomilia, also associating it with the Mecistoptera generic group, but indicating that further work is needed to establish the systematic position of Lophomilia within the group, and of the group within a wider context (see also Kononenko et al. (2010) with reference to the genus Paragabara Hampson). They suggested that Coarica Moore, a monobasic N. Indian genus, is also closely related, and recorded from earlier literature the synonymy of Atuntsea Berio and Bryograpta Sugi with Lophomilia. They listed thirteen described species divided into seven species-groups, placing striatipurpurea in a group of its own, despite similarities in facies and male genitalia (especially the narrow valves) with L. kobesi Kononenko & Behounek from Sumatra. There is a second Sumatran species, L. diehli Kononenko & Behounek, with much more robust and heavily ornamented valves to the male genitalia.

Genitalia: