Cotachena pubescens Warren

Taxonomy

The male lectotype, chosen by Whalley (1961), of Achernis pubescens Warren, 1892: 300, is in the BMNH. It is from India (Dharmsala). Stat. rev., comb. n. to Cotachena Moore, 1884-87: 275 (Whalley, 1961: 100).

Description

This is a fulvous brown and yellow species with three hyaline spots on the FW two anteriorly, a square one at the antemedian, another ‘D-shaped’ in the post-median position. and a third, a circularmedian spot near the anterior margin. The genitalia of the male are quite distinct from those of the male C. histricalis. Whalley (1961:103, text-figs. 2a male, 2b female) illustrates the genitalia. In C. castoralis there are also only 3 spots on the FW it lacks the median spot near the anterior margin. There is a considerable amount of variation in the intensity of the colouration, the Taiwan and Japanese specimens being paler than the Indian ones. Specimens from Borneo & Malaysia (Schulze Taxon #907) are brighter than the Indian race with more yellow on the fore wings as are those from Taiwan. The secimen from Taiwan (Wang & Speidel (2000: 245) has a much narrower crescentic white spot on the FW post median area. Bold taxon #19574 (Ratnasingham & Hebert, 2007).

References

• Moore, F. (1884-1887 [1886]) Lepid. Ceylon., Vol 3, IX-XIII, xv + 578pp., pls. [71] 144-215 L. Reeve & Co., London.
• Hampson, G.F. (1896) Moths, Vol. IV, In Blandford, W.T. (ed.), The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma, W.T., Taylor and Francis, London: xxiii + 594pp.
• 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.
• Wang, HsiauYue. & Speidel, W (2000) Guide Book to Insects in Taiwan (19). Pyraloidea (Pyralidae, Crambidae). Shu Shin Books, Taipei, Taiwan: pp 295.
• 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.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
• Warren, W. (1892b) XLV Descriptions of new genera and species of Pyralidae contained in the B.M. Coll. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 6, 9 (52) 12: 294-301.