Cydalima sp. 3

Taxonomy

Cydalima sp. 3 is an unnamed morphotype nr. Cydalima diaphanalis Walker, from Sabah, PHS in the Schulze Coll.

Description

The white wings are shining white, almost transparent and un-marked except for distinctive dark brown veins and a dark, crescentic, median stigma and large subtermenal interneural dots, also present on the anterior part of the HW. The males have small brown naked valvae. When the abdomen is unworn it is covered by silver scales.

Compared with Cydalima sp 5 the FW veins C & Sc run parallel almost to the costa enclosing a very pale brown tinged sub costa, then converging before the apex, Cydalima sp 5 also has interneural spots.

Most other Cydalima spp. in the diaphanalis group have neural (rather than interneural) spots and FWs with a brown costa and and small brown punctae on the subcosta. Schulze (2000) taxon #934. See also the brown veined Lepidoneura longipalpis Swinhoe 1894: 208.

References

• Schulze, C.H. (2000) Auswirkungen anthropogener Störungen auf die Diversität von Herbivoren. (Analys von Nachtfalterzönosen entlang von Habitatgradienten in Ost-Malaysia). Unpubl. PhD Thesis, University of Bayreuth, Germany, 350pp.
• Swinhoe, C. (1894b) XXIX New species of Pyrales from the Khasia Hills. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., Ser 6, 14 (81): 197-210.