Nyctemera adversata Schaller

Phalaena Geometra adversata Schaller, 1788, Beytr. ges. exot. Pap. Naturf. (Jena), 23: 54.

Nyctemera plagifera Walker, 1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 2: 400.

Nyctemera plagifera Walker; Roepke, 1957: 155.

Nyctemera adversata Schaller; Holloway, 1976: 6; Barlow, 1982: 75.

Diagnosis

The large discal brown patch combined with a row of various sized patches on the hindwing distinguishes this species. N. ludekingii is the only other species with hindwing discal markings but the hindwing border is unbroken though irregular, and the abdomen is banded yellow and black.

Taxonomic notes

Roepke (1957), whilst recognising the priority of the name adversata, used plagifera as it was the name in common usage.

Geographical range

Himalaya, W. & S. China, Japan, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

Habitat preference

The species is infrequent in open and secondary forest habitats from the lowlands to 1500m.

Biology

The species is day-flying. It has been reared from Erechtites, Erigeron, Gynura, Picris, Senecio, (Sevastopulo, 1940; Miyata, 1983) and other Compositae (Sevastopulo, 1939). The larva has a red-brown head and prothorax. The rest of the body is black with a broad white dorsal stripe that is broken between the segments and traversed on each by two narrow, transverse black lines. There is a broken white lateral stripe. The mesothorax has a pair of forwardly directed hair-pencils; verrucae with black hairs are present on all other segments. The pupa is pale chestnut with black spots and streaks. The larva has been illustrated by Sugi (1987).

Genitalia: