Racotis hollowayi Sato

Hypochroma boarmiaria Guenée, 1857, Syst. nat. Ins., Spec. Gen. Lep. 9: 282.

Racotis boarmiaria obliterata Warren, 1894, Novit. zool. 1: 432.

Racotis boarmiaria plenifasciata Warren, 1894, Novit. zool. 1: 432.

Racotis boarmiaria japonica Inoue, 1953, Tinea, 1 :16.

Racotis boarmiaria Guenée; Holloway, 1976: 80.

Diagnosis

This and R. inconclusa are difficult to separate on external features, the most useful characteristics being on the underside. In inconclusa the submarginal dark border is blacker, more clearly defined, particularly in relation to the marginal pale zone. The basal pale zone mostly lacks the irregular speckling seen in boarmiaria, and the discal spots are crisper. The male genitalia are distinctive, as illustrated.

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

N.E. Himalaya to Taiwan and Borneo; Japan.

Habitat Preference

The species was most frequent in the lower montane zone (900-1000m) during the Mulu survey, but was taken as high as 1790m on G. Mulu. On G. Kinabalu it ranged from 1050-2110m, being abundant at sites at 1620m and 1930m.

Biology

The typical subspecies has been reared in Hong Kong by M.J. Bascombe (pers. comm.). The larva (below) is bright green, marked with black dorsally, extending laterally in triangles, and with white lineation and areas of rather leprous white suffusion. The larva of the Japanese subspecies has been illustrated by Sato (1984 a) and Sugi (1987). It is brownish green, with diffuse, darker triangular patches on some segments dorsolaterally that extend to a lateral line that is diffuse dorsally, delineated sharply ventrally.

Host-plant records (Sato, 1984a) are from Lindera, Neolitsea, Parabenzoin, and, in Hong Kong, Litsea cubeba, (Lauraceae).

Genitalia: