Arthroschista hilaralis Walker
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Spilomelinae
- Tribe: Margaroniini
- Genus: Arthroschista
- Distribution: Sri Lanka, India (Sikkim, Assam), Burma, W. Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak, Kalimantan Barat, PNG, Louisiade Arch. (St. Aignan), Australia, China (Yunnan).
- Habitat: Lowland to subalpine forests including canopy <2,100m.
- Wing Length: 13-16mm
Taxonomy
The holotype of Margaronia hilaralis Walker, 1859: 532 from Sri Lanka is in the BMNH.
- syn. Margarodes aquosalis Snellen, [1880] 1880-1892: 66. (LepIndex, Globiz) The male type from Java (Soengai, Simawoeng), is in Leiden.
It is the TS of Arthroschista Hampson, 1893: 168.
Description
A common and distinctive sp. The adults are a beautiful pale blue/green colour, with a brown-yellow line along the costa with two adjacent dark dots, these brown subcostal dots are characteristic of this species, Brown dots mark the veins on the margin of each wing. The males have large black hair pencils at the tip of their abdomens. There are small red marks on most abdominal tergites. The antennal pedicel of the male is highly modified with an excavated area. The green wings are slightly blotchy, in contrast to the genus Parotis, which have uniformly coloured green wings.
Life History
A defoliator of Neolamarkia cadamba (Laran) (Rubiaceae) (Thapa, 1970, Chey, 1996). Reported as a minor pest of Cocoa (Conway, 1971) The outbreaks of the moth are most common in secondary forest (Chey, 1996). This sp. was a common pyralid pollinator of the flowers of Neonauclea pallida (Rubiaceae) noted by Weber (2000a, b) in Thailand.
References
- Snellen, P. C. T. ([1880] 1880-1892) Lepidoptera. In Veth, P. J., (1880-1892). Midden-Sumatra. 4 (8). 92 pp., 5 pl. Leiden.
- Hampson, G. F. (1893) The Macrolepidoptera Heterocera of Ceylon. Ill. typ. spec. Lepid. Heteroc. coll. B.M., 9. 182 pp., pl. 157-176. London.
- Thapa, R.S. (1970) Bionomics and control of the laran defoliator, Margaronia hilaralis Wkr. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Malayan Forester, 23 (1): 47-52.
- Conway, G.R. (1971) Pest [sic] of Cocoa in Sabah and their control. Kementerian Pertanian dan Perikanan Sabah, Malaysia [State Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries (Sabah, Malaysia)].
- RTS (1994): 189, pl. 31, fig.10.
- Chey, V.K. (1996) Forest Pest Insects in Sabah, Sabah Forest Record 15, 87-96.
- Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
- Weber, C. F. (2000b) Bestäubung von Neonauclea pallida (Rubiaceae) durch Pyraliden in Süd-Thailand. [Pollination of Neonauclea pallida (Rubiacea) by pyralid moths in Southern Thailand]. Linzer biol. Beitr. 32 (2): 247. [in German]
- Weber, C.F. (2000a) Bestäubung von Neonauclea pallida (Rubiaceae) durch Pyraliden in Süd-Thailand. [Pollination of Neonauclea pallida (Rubiaceae) by pyralid moths in Southern Thailand]. Unpubl. M. Phil Thesis, Institut fur Botanik, Universität Wien , Austria . [in German]