Mythimna (Hyphilare) moorei Swinhoe

Leucania radiata Bremer, 1864, Lep. Ost Siberia. Leucania abdominalis Moore, 1881, Proc. zoo1. Soc. Lond., 1881: 338 syn. n.

Leucania moorei Swinhoe, 1902, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist (7), 10: 50 (new name for abdominalis Moore, not Walker) syn. n.

Borolia stellata Hampson, 1905. Cat. Lepid. Phalaenae Br. Mus., 5:565.

Aletia abdominalis Moore; Calora, 1966: 684.

Aletia stellata Hampson; Holloway 1976 9.

Diagnosis

M. radiata could be confused with members of the quartet just discussed: all have brownish hindwings with the costal zone paler; most taxa of the Leucania/Acantholeucania group (M. yu Guenée being the exception) have the hindwings whitish, brown shading being restricted to the margin. However, the underside is not silvered, nor, in the male, is there a tuft of black hair scales at the base of the abdomen below. The hindwing discal spot is present below, distinguishing the species from decississima, exsanguis and calorai. In the male genitalia the short sacculus, long cucullus neck and narrow, asymmetrical cucullus are also diagnostic. The aedeagus vesica is short, with an extended grouping of numerous, rather needle-like cornuti.

Taxonomic notes

• Sugi in Inoue et al. (1982) placed stellata as a synonym of radiata. The male genitalia of the Indian abdominalis/moorei resemble those of Japanese stellata very closely. Those illustrated from the Philippines by Calora have the apex of the cucullus less acute than in stellata. Bornean material has the cucullus more produced, acute, narrow, with cornal setae sparser than in typical specimens; the harpe is set well within the margin of the sacculus rather than just overlapping its distal margin.
• Yoshimatsu (1990) considered that M. radiata Bremer and M. moorei were distinct but very closely related species, differing only in the density of spining on the cucullus of the male genitalia, it being about twice as dense in moorei. The two taxa are largely allopatric, except perhaps for an overlap in the Himalayan area and in south‐east Asia, with radiata known from Pakistan though the Himalaya to Thailand, China, Japan, Korea and eastern Siberia. Yoshimatsu (1990) described two new species endemic to Luzon in the Philippines: honeyi Yoshimatsu; intermediata Yoshimatsu. The population in Sulawesi listed in part 12 has not been dissected and may also be distinct.

Geographical range

Manchuria, Japan, Indian Subregion to Sundaland, Philippines and Sulawesi.

Habitat preference

On G. Kinabalu the species was found commonly in cultivated areas at 1050m and 1200m but was also taken frequently up to 1930m and singly at 2110m. On G. Mulu a single specimen was taken in upper montane forest at 1790m.

Genitalia: