Cotachena histricalis Walker

Taxonomy

The male holotype of Botys histricalis Walker, 1859: 655 from Sri Lanka is in the BMNH. It is the TS of Cotachena Moore, 1885: 275.

• syn. Cotochena [sic] trinotata Butler, 1887: 122. TL Alu. Infra specific as an ab. (Whalley 1961: 100);
• syn. Cotachena peractalis Warren, 1896: 465. TL Burma (Tenimber). Syn. n. Whalley 1961: 100) misspell. as C. peratilis
• syn. Cotachena orientalis Rothschild, 1916: 117; TL Irian Jaya (Base camp). Infra specific as a ssp. (Whalley 1961: 100);
• syn. Cotachena histricalis pubescens Warren, Inoue 1955: 159 nec Warren 1896. (Whalley 1961: 100);
• syn. Stenophyses histricalis Walker, Snellen (1890b: 600) nec Walker 1859d: 655 (Whalley, 1961: 100).

Description

A purple brown sp. with 4 large hyaline spots on the FW. Australian specimens tend to be rather greyer than the Ceylon-Pacific specimens but the differences are slight. (Whalley, 1961: 100) noted that Walker (1859d) first noticed that the Chinese and N. Indian specimens [of C. histricalis] were smaller and darker. Warren described these specimens as a new sp. but it has subsequently either been regarded as a syn. (Hampson, 1896) or a ssp (Inoue, 1955). On some Pacific Islands (e.g. Santa Isabel Is. (Solomon Is.)) a dark yellow form occurs. This is ab. trinotata Butler, which occurs in a number of islands. Whilst some of the Pacific Island specimens are smaller than the ‘typical’ Pacific form, the genitalia and wing pattern are all identical and further naming of ssp. is not thought necessary.(Whalley 1961: 100). Whalley (1961) illustrates the genitalia (p. 102, text-figs. 1a male, 1b female). Bold taxon #19679 has been DNA barcoded (Ratnasingham & Hebert, 2007). In C. castoralis & pubescens there are only 3 slightly smaller hyaline spots on the FW they lack a median spot near the anterior margin. C. pubescens is more similar but its genitalia are distinct (Whalley, 1961: 101).

References

• Butler, A.G. (1887) Description of New Species of Heterocerous Lepidoptera (Pyralites) from the Solomon Islands. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. Ser. 5, 20, (116): 114-124.
• Rothchild, L.W. (1916) Lepidoptera of the British Ornithological Union and Wollaston Expedition in the Snow Mountains, southern Dutch New Guinea. Rep. B. O. U. exp. 2 (15): 1-162.
• Inoue, H. (1955) Check list of the Lepidoptera of Japan. Part. 2:113–217.
• Whalley, P.E.S. (1961) A revision of two species complexes in the Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera Pyralidae): Cotachena histricalis Warren, Syngamia floridalis. Bull BM (NH) Entomology 10, (3): 96-111. Pls. 3 & 4, 6 text figs.
• Ratnasingham, S. & Hebert, P.D.N.(2007) Barcoding - BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data System (www.barcodinglife.org), Molecular Ecology Notes (Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.: 10 pp.
• Warren, W. (1896h) LXV New species of moths from the Khasia Hills, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, 17 (99): 452-466.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
• Moore, F. (1885b [30 Oct]) Heterocera, Lepid. Ceylon, 11: 177-304, pl. 172-181. L. Reeve & Co., London.
• Snellen, P.C.T. (1890b) XVIII A catalogue of the Pyralidina of Sikkim collected by Henry J. Elwes and the late Otto Möller. Trans ent. Soc Lond: 557-647, 2 pl. (XIX & XX).