Taxonomy

This is ssp. thermesiodes; Sulawesi, Dumoga Bone NP. The male holotype of Drepanodes scitaria Walker, 1862:1488 from Sri Lanka is in the NHM (Mi7285), genitalia slide #8402, Whalley (1976:37-41, fig’d). Syn. Homodes thermesiodes Snellen, 1877 TL Java. The type is in Leiden. Stat.n. as a ssp. of scitaria Whalley (1976). This ssp. occurs in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Sumatra, W. Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Java, Bali, Sulawesi. Syn. Thermesia reticulata Walker, 1865;1062. The female type from India (S. Hindustan) is in the NHM (Mi7285), genitalia slide #10184. Syn.Striglina lineola Guenée, 1887:284. The male type from India (Bengal) is in the NHM, genitalia slide #9553. Besides the nominate ssp. and thermesiodes mentioned above, the following named sspp. are recorded. They all look very similar, although they have different ranges. Whalley (1976:37-41) gives the genitalic characterisics of five of the sspp., (excluding S.vietnamensis Konvicka et al., 1998) but in some cases the differences are very slight. Ssp. iambia Whalley 1976: 41. TL Philippines (Taytay, Palawan Plains). The type is in the NHM (Mi7285), genitalia slide #13632. Ssp. particula Whalley 1976: 40. TL Sulawesi (Gg. Lampobattang). The male type is in the NHM (Mi7285), genitalia slide #13638. Ssp. restricta Whalley 1976: 41. TL West Bali (Prapetagoeng). The type is in the NHM (Mi7285), genitalia slide #13634. Ssp. scitaria Walker, 1862: 1488 (Whalley, 1976: 38-39, fig’d) from Goa, Sri Lanka, NE India, Maldives, Nepal. Ssp. vietnamensis Konvicka et al., 1998: 4. The syntype from South Vietnam (Nam Cat Tien) is in the NHM (Mi7285)

Description

22-30mm. A widespread Asian and Australasian species, dark orange-brown, with the thyridid reticulation picked out in darker brown. There is a purplish-red diagonal line crossing both wings which runs from the FW costa close to the apex to the inner margin and continues across the HW to the inner margin and across the abdomen. The margins of this line are a diffuse dark red. Note the shape of the subsidiary transverse line on the HW. If distinct, it curves strongly at its middle and continues towards the tornus.

Distribution & Habitat

China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Goa, Assam, Andaman Is., Nicobar Is., Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, W. Malaysia, Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Philippines, Australia, Fiji. Lowland and hill forest, secondary forest, scrub, cultivated areas and sandy heath; <1200m.

Life History & Pest Status

The larvae feed communally on leaves, tying them together and rolling the leaf inwards to be fed upon. A minor pest on a great variety of plants, especially Fabaceae (Leguminosae) (Robinson et al., 2001). See Chey (1996) for details of its life cycle and control measures.

Similar spp.

See Plates