Melanographia flexilineata Hampson

Nola flexilineata Hampson, 1898, J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., 11: 440.

Diagnosis

See the generic description. The fine, strongly but unevenly curved black line of the postmedial is a definitive feature.

Taxonomic Note

In Part 18, description of the larva of a second species included at the time in Melanographia Hampson was included in the generic account, but it was indicated that the species concerned, tympanistis Hampson (Himalaya, Burma), was not congeneric, citing the Budapest group. This group has now placed tympanistis as type species of a new genus, Alcanola László, Ronkay & Witt (2010), with three included species, adding new ones from S. India and Thailand. An autapomorphy is a dorsally convex hump within the forewing cell that bears scale tufts within a sclerotised ring associated with inflated parts of the cell veins. This renders Melanographia monobasic, including only flexilineata Hampson.

Geographical range

N.E. Himalaya, S.W. China, Borneo.

Habitat preference

During the Mulu survey the species wastaken in numbers at 900m in lower montane forest on the limetone G. Api. The only other specimen was taken at 250m in dipterocarp forest, also on G. Api.

Genitalia: