Trichogyia semifascia Hampson

Trichogyia semifascia Hampson, 1894, Fauna British India Moths 2: 103.

Ceratonema albidivisum Hampson, 1900, J . Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 232, syn. n.

Trichogyia semifascia Hampson; Hering, 1931: 700.

Diagnosis

The ochreous brown basal area bounded by an oblique (♀) or somewhat sinuous (♂) white line, is distinctive.

Taxonomic Notes

The two names brought into synonymy here were based on different sexes. There are differences in the genitalia of both sexes between Himalayan and Sundanian specimens. A Burmese male had the saccular process slightly larger and square, the juxta apically spatulate rather than acute as in a Javan male (RMNH, Leiden). The Bornean female dissected had sclerotised bands extending further up the spiralled ductus which was broader than in the holotype of albidivisum (N.E. Himalaya). The plate on the lamella postvaginalis is triangular rather than broadly bilobed.

Geographical Range

N.E. Himalaya, Burma, Sundaland.

Habitat Preference

Three Bornean specimens have been seen, all from Sarawak. Two females were reared at Subi and a male was taken at light at 300m on G. Santubong.

Biology

The larva was described by Piepers & Snellen (1900), but a more accurate description is presented, based on actual observations in Malaysia. The larva is strikingly humped, the vertical black flanks separated from a flat grey dorsum with rows of small black dots by a small flange on the angle between the two. The body increases in width and height from a square anterior, back to about the fifth abdominal segment, where the dorsum drops down steeply and the flanks reconverge to an acute process with two small scoli at the end. The dorsolaterals are present, spiny but very small. The host-plants recorded were Coffea (Rubiaceae) and Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae). The Bornean female referred to above was reared from cocoa (Theobroma; Sterculiaceae).

Genitalia: