Racotis boarmiaria Guenée sp. n.

♂♂ 20-22mm, ♀ 21mm. This species is a darker, less yellow brown than its Bornean congeners, with distinct but diffuse dark patches just distal to the postmedial on both wings between M3 and CuA2. The Bornean species is also darker, less variegated, more uniform than the genitalically very similar R. anaglyptica Prout (Java, Bali). The underside submarginal bands are not prominent in anaglyptica but strong as in the other two Bornean species in quadripunctata. The male genitalia of quadripunctata and anaglypticashare possession of an unusually long digitate sacculus process, but with the distal half of the valve more bulbous centrally in quadripunctata, resembling more the Javan R. neonephrica Prout.

Holotype ♂

SARAWAK: Gunung Mulu Nat. Park, R.G.S Exped. 1977-8 (J.D. Holloway et al.) Site 2, January, Camp 4, Mulu, 1790m, 452463,[upper montane forest], BM geometrid slide 13357.

Paratypes

general data as holotype:

• 1♂ Site 3, Mulu, 1780m
• 2♂♂ Site 14, 1 ♀ Site 15,Mulu, 1000m, lower montane forest
• 1♂ Site 11, Mulu, 150m, hill dipterocarp forest
• 1♂ Site 18, W. Melinau Gorge, 100m, alluvial forest
• 1♂ site 25, G. Api, 900m, lower montane forest.

Taxonomic Note

Sato (2004b), on the basis of more extensive material of the Racotis boarmiaria complex in S.E. Asia, considered that material described as quadripunctata Holloway in Part 11 was closer to the lectotype male of boarmiaria Guenée (Part 11, fig. 408) chosen by Sato (he dissected the paralectotype and found it to be R. inconclusa Walker) than was that attributed to boarmiaria in Part 11 (Plate 10: 23). Sato also placed the Javanese R. anaglyptica Prout, referred to in the description of R. quadripunctata in Part 11, as a further synonym of boarmiaria. The Bornean boarmiariasensu Holloway of Part 11 Sato kindly described as R. hollowayi Sato; it occurs also in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. The male genitalia illustrated by Holloway (1976: fig 616) are those of hollowayi: the angle on the dorsal margin of the central part of the valve is more pronounced than in boarmiaria and opposite the apex of the curve on the ventral margin rather than ventral to it; the spur subbasally on the sacculus is much shorter than in boarmiaria. Differences in the female genitalia are more marked, with the bursa strongly angled at one third and corrugated to two thirds in boarmiaria, and sclerotised with only weak corrugation to the centre, where there is very slight flexure, in hollowayi. Apart from the widespread boarmiaria, the other species in the complex are allopatric: keralaria Sato (S. India); discistigmaria Sato (N.E. Himalaya, Vietnam, Thailand); hollowayi (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo); neonephria Prout (Java); floresaria Sato (Flores); luzonensis Sato (Philipppines); sulawesaria Sato (Sulawesi).

Geographical range

Borneo.

Habitat preference

The species is recorded from the lowlands to the upper montane zone, with the majority of specimens being taken from 900m upwards.

Genitalia: