Spilosoma ericsoni Semper

Hyarias ericsoni Semper, 1899, Schmett. Philipp. Inseln., 2: 489.

Spilosoma ericsoni Semper; Holloway, 1976: 4, 1982: 216.

Diagnosis

The forewings of the male are red rather than creamy colour, and the hindwings are immaculate. Both wings grade distinctively yellowish at the margin. The female has the forewing less red but still with very large black spots in the first two spaces from the dorsum. The hindwings of the female have yellow fringes.

Taxonomic notes

S. accensa Swinhoe (Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia) has been treated as a synonym of ericsoni, but was considered a good species by Holloway (1982).

Southeast Asian species traditionally placed in Spilosoma Curtis (type species lubricipeda Linnaeus, Europe) have been transferred to Spilarctia Butler (type species lutea Hufnagel, Europe), as part of a tendency to identify groupings within the old concept of Spilosoma (see Inoue, 1988; V.V. Dubatolov, pers. comm.). However, it is evident from Watson et al. (1980) that there is a problem with type species identity for Spilarctia; even if this is the case, the potential type taxa involved for the two generic names do not show morphological differences indicating that they are not congeneric (R. de Vos, pers. comm.), so Spilosoma is once again applied to all Bornean species here; see also Cerný (2011).

Geographical range

Borneo.

Habitat preference

Most records (G. Kinabalu, G. Mulu, Bukit Pagon, Bukit Retak) have been from 1200-1800m in the upper montane zone; the species is often common. One specimen was taken at 300m in Ulu Temburong, Brunei.

Taxonomic Note

Southeast Asian species traditionally placed in Spilosoma Curtis (type species lubricipeda Linnaeus, Europe) have been transferred to Spilarctia Butler (type species lutea Hufnagel, Europe), as part of a tendency to identify groupings within the old concept of Spilosoma (see Inoue, 1988; V.V. Dubatolov, pers. comm.). However, it is evident from Watson et al. (1980) that there is a problem with type species identity for Spilarctia; even if this is the case, the potential type taxa involved for the two generic names do not show morphological differences indicating that they are not congeneric (R. de Vos, pers. comm.), so Spilosoma is once again applied to all Bornean species here; see also Cerný (2011).

Genitalia: