Lophoptera pallibasis Holloway

Lophoptera pallibasis Holloway, 1976: 20.

Diagnosis

The forewings are rather uniform, warm, greyish brown with a series of faint fasciae over the postmedial half parallel to the margin; the reniform is edged with dark brown and the orbicular is incorporated into a curved (concave basad) multiple fascia with paler brown elements and enclosing a slightly paler basal area.

Taxonomic Notes

The species resembles the Indian L. apirtha* Swinhoe in general appearance, though apirtha lacks the paler basal zone to the forewing. However, the male genitalia are very different, apirtha having a relatively short triangular uncus and the ventral arm of the valve shorter than the costal process, fused to it over half its length then diverging.

Habitat Preference

On G. Kinabalu the species was taken from 1200m to 1930m. It was the most abundant stictopterine taken during the Mulu survey, especially in the lowland and lower montane forest samples on the G. Api transect. It was common in lower and upper montane forest on G. Mulu and in upper montane forest on G. Api, and also at Long Pala where a sample was made from a limestone outcrop overlooking the canopy of alluvial forest in the lowlands. It was infrequent in other lowland forest types. In Brunei it has been taken frequently in upper montane forest on Bukit Retak, once on Bukit Pagon, and frequently in hill dipterocarp forest at Ulu Temburong.

Genitalia: