Pidorus gemina Walker

Laurion gemina Walker, 1854, List Specimens lepid. Insects Coll. Br. Mus., 2: 427.

Diagnosis

The species is very similar to corculum but is slightly larger with deeper wings and a slightly less oblique, more curved pale band to the forewing. In the genitalia, the valves differ considerably from those of corculum, lacking a strong saccular angle basally and being highly complex distally.

Taxonomic note

In the analyses of Yen et al. (2005), gemina was placed in a sister-pairing with P. chalybeatus Joicey & Talbot (New Guinea) as the most basal group in Clade 7, discussed in the subfamily account as one of those clades with its greatest diversity in the Australasian tropics. Endo & Kishida (1999) included Borneo in the distribution of gemina but no reliably identified material has been located. The record could possibly go back to Hampson (1892, Fauna Br. India, Moths 1: 254) where Borneo is included in the distribution. However, Jordan (1907) made no reference to Borneo in his account of gemina. Interestingly, Walker stated in his description of P. bifasciata that it “represents M. gemina” in Borneo.

Geographical range

China, N. India, Thailand, Cambodia, ?Borneo.

Habitat preference

This species was recorded for Borneo by Endo & Kishida (1999), but no further material has been located in the course of this study. Borneo is strongly disjunct from the main range of the species.

Biology

The larva was illustrated in colour by Yen et al. (2005). It is stouter than in typical Pidorus, white with yellow irregularly each side of the intersegmental margins. The setal tubercles above the line of the spiracles are ringed with black, and there is black edging to the row immediately ventral to them. Below this the larva is uniformly pinkish.

Genitalia: