Selepa discigera Walker

Gadirtha? discigera Walker, 1864, J. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), 7: 163.

Selepa strigifera Moore, 1885, Lep. Ceylon, 3: 103.

Selepa discigera ab. caniceps Strand, 1917, Arch. Naturgesch., 82 (A1): 83.

Selepa discigera ab. hampsoni Strand, 1917, Arch. Naturgesch., 82 (A1): 83.

Selepa discigera ab. walkeri Strand, 1917, Arch. Naturgesch., 82 (A1): 83.

Selepa discigera caniceps, hampsoni and walkeri Gaede, 1937, Gross-Schmett. Erde, 11: 396.

Diagnosis

This species has rather blackish forewings, the postmedial loop being relatively distal and evenly curved.

There is a black longitudinal streak subdorsally that is often edged white.

The male genitalia have the saccular process about as long as the valve, strongly curved over the basal quarter and relatively straight thereafter (this characteristic is less extreme in Australian material dissected: slides 17001, 17030). In the female genitalia the bursa is globular, with two circular patches of faint scobination: at one-third and two-thirds.

Geographical range

Indo-Australian tropics east to New Guinea and Queensland.

Habitat preference

The species has only been taken twice in recent surveys, both times in lowland dipterocarp forest (Labi in Brunei and the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah). The type material was taken in Sarawak by A.R. Wallace, probably also in the lowlands.

Biology

Mell (1943) noted Stillingia (Euphorbiaceae) as a host-plant in China, and Williams (1928) recorded it (as celtis; voucher in USNM examined) as attacking fruits of three species of Ficus (Moraceae) in the Philippines.

A specimen in BMNH was reared from Rhus (Anacardiaceae) in Hong Kong.

Taxonomic Note

S. discigera Walker has been reared from a larva found on Psidium cattleyanum (guava, Myrtaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia (S.K.L. Hok & H.S. Barlow, pers. c**omm.). The mature larva has a dull orange head and a pale green body marked with black dots and patches as illustrated in Plate 9. The larger spots appear to be characteristic of the genus, as they occur in the species with larval descriptions in Part 18. There are subdorsal rows of spots, with two pairs on each of A3-6 forming a square. There is a large cordate patch on A2 and a round one on A7. A8 has a smaller vertebra-shaped patch, and the anal segment is broadly black dorsally. There are irregular rows with more frequent spots above and below the spiracles. The primary setae are very long, mostly white, but mixed with black ones on the thoracic and anal segments. All prolegs are present. The time between pupation and eclosion of the adult was two weeks.

Genitalia: