Taxonomy

Ssp. Banisia ovifera ovifera; Brunei, Bkt. Retak. The holotype of Durdara ovifera Butler, 1892:129 is from Sabah (Sandakan). Stat. n. to Banisia (Whalley, 1976:174-177, fig’d). Syn.Letchena diversicolor Warren (1897:183). Syn. n. and stat. n. as a ssp. of Banisia ovifera (Whalley 1971:175). Syn. Letchena satelles Warren (1906:64) is from PNG. Syn. n. stat. n. as a ssp. of Banisia ovifera diversicolor (Whalley 1976:175). Nec Phalaena [= Noctua] myrtaea (Drury 1773); misident. See Dalla Torre (1914;28); (Hampson, 1897:618)). Syn. ab. coeca (Warren 1906:64) (ab. of Letchena satelles Warren). The female syntype from PNG is in the NHM.

Description

23-36mm. A bright orange species with indistinct reticulation and a few dark strigillate marks and small spots. There is a large obovate fenestra on the FW. Posterior to this may be two or three smaller fenestrae. Ab. coeca (Warren 1906) lacks the FW fenestrae. There are three named sspp. Ssp. ovifera (Butler, 1892), Brunei, Sabah; ssp. diversicolor (Warren, 1897), Sulawesi, Admiralty Is, Sarawak, PNG, New Britain. Large with a prominent hyaline area on the FW. Very variable in color (brown and red-brown) and probably not a homogenous ssp. Ssp. praevaria Whalley, 1976:176, Solomon Is. Both ssp. diversicolor & praevaria are larger, darker and more strongly marked than the nominate ssp.

Distribution & Habitat

Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, Sulawesi, PNG (Bismark Arch.), New Britain, Solomon Is. Lowland and hill forest; <1620m.

Life History & Pest Status

No information

Similar spp.

See Plates