Targalla scelerata Holland comb. n

Eutelia scelerata Holland, 1900, Novit. zool. 7: 564.

Eurhipia fasciatrix Semper, [1902] 1896-1902, p. 711, syn. n.

Eutelia moneida Lower, 1902, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales 26: 659. syn. n.

Rhesala albipars Hampson, 1926, Descr. new Gen. Spec. Lepid. Heterocera Colln Br. Mus. p.

279, syn. n.

Diagnosis

The paler medial band of the forewing varies in shade, being white even in some Australian specimens; the reniform is also sometimes picked out in white.

There are never submarginal grey or white markings at the tornus and apex as in duplicilinea. The aedeagus vesica of the male genitalia has two slender lobes which terminate in equal, long, slender, straight cornuti; in duplicilinea one is longer and broader than the other, and slightly curved.

The female genitalia are much as in duplicilinea but the basal sclerotised part of the ductus bursae is narrower and lacks the lateral fluting and subapical ‘lugs’ seen in duplicilinea.

Taxonomic Notes

The types of moneida and fasciatrix have not been examined.

The former has been regarded as a synonym of duplicilinea until now, and specimens attributed to moneida in the Australian National Insect Collection are of scelerata as treated here.

The original illustration of fasciatrix matches scelerata.

Geographical range

Borneo, Philippines and Sulawesi to Queensland and the Solomons with an apparently outlying population in Samoa (previously recorded as duplicilinea).

Habitat preference

The species is possibly restricted to lowland localities: there are two specimens from S.E. Borneo collected by Doherty and one from dry heath forest at Telisai in Brunei.

Genitalia: