Paectes subapicalis Walker

Abrostola subapicalis Walker [1858] 1857, List Specimens lepid.Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 12:

Ingura recurrens Walker, 1858, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln. Br.Mus. 15: 1779.

Diagnosis

The forewing is dark grey with obscure markings typical of the genus; the posterior half of the basal third is distinctly darker than the rest.

The hindwings are paler basally, approaching white, with the veins picked out in dark brown.

In the male genitalia the ventral part of the valve has a dorsal and ventral apical process instead of just the latter; the aedeagus vesica is bibbed but neither lobe has a cornutus, the single cornutus being on the basal portion.

Geographical range

N. India, Burma, Thailand, ?Borneo (four specimens with ‘Sarawak’ on a typed label). Confirmation of the presence of this species in Borneo is needed.

Biology

Gardner (1948a) described the larva.

It is about 25mm long with the head, pronotum and pygidium yellowish.

The body is green or pink with moderately distinct white lines.

The host-plants recorded are Tectona (Verbenaceae) and Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae) (Sevastopulo 1941; Mathur 1942; Gardner 1948a; Browne 1968).

Taxonomic Note

In Part 14: 213 it was noted that confirmation of the presence of *Paectes *subapicalis in Borneo was needed. On the positive side, the species has been recorded in Sumatra by Kobes (2008: 362), and so occurrence in Borneo is certainly possible. On the negative side, two more noctuid species have been located with a similar typed label of ‘Sarawak’ for which this is the only record for Borneo for otherwise mainland Asian species, in this case neither recorded closer to Borneo than the Himalayan region. The species are Protoseudyra picta Hampson (?Xylenini) and an Ozarba Walker (Eustrotiinae) species, possibly arenacea Hampson or destituta Moore. In all of these species there is a secondary typed label just bearing a number: 100 for picta; 102 for the Ozarba; 105 for subapicalis.

Genitalia: