Didymostoma sp. 1
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Spilomelinae
- Tribe: Margaroniini
- Genus: Didymostoma
- Distribution: India (Assam), Thailand, W. Malaysia, Sabah, China (Hong Kong), Indonesia (W.
- Habitat: Papua), Australia (Q); Lowland and hill forest and disturbed vegetation.
- Wing Length: 14.5mm
Taxonomy
Didymostoma sp. 1 is an un-named morphotype distributed through South Asia to Australia. It has been treated as Bocchoris [Didymostoma] aurotinctalis Hampson, 1898: 653 (T.L. PNG, (D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Fergusson Is.) & Australia (Q) but it is not that. In ANIC it is listed as the BOLD barcoded (Leucinodes sp. 1 (Ratnasingham & Hebert 2007) but it not a Leucinodes. Richard Malley (pers. com.) considered it is better temporarily placed as Syllepte suggesting S. chalybifascia but as Syllepte is a 'dustbin genus' we provisionally treat it as Didymostoma Warren, 1892: 392. Roger Kendrick (2002) found it widespread in Hong Kong and although originally misidentified as Leucinodes orbonalis he now considers it as an undescribed taxon. (Kendrick, Pers. Comm.)
Description
The colour of the pale yellow translucent wings fades rapidly. They are distinctively patterned in deep purple-brown and fulvous brown. Both wings have a simple subtermenal lines but the major pattern is a broad purple brown band along the posterior margin of the FW which links to a brown circular mark on the wing base. The venation is brownish especially towards the margins The sub-termenal areas are suffused by brownish patches. The single Bornean specimen seen is a poor specimen in the Schulze Coll. from Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu National Park, from lowland (270m), old disturbed forest, nr. Serinsim Substation.
Life History
Lee & Winney (1982) gave the larval host as Solanum melongena. In HK reared on Scolopia chinensis from larvae found mid Feb pupating late Feb and emerging in March.
References
- Hampson, G. F. (1898 [1899]) A revision of the moths of the subfamily Pyraustinae and the family Pyralidae. Part 1, Proc. zool. soc. Lond. 1898: (1-4) 590-761, pls 49-50.
- Lee, L. H. Y. & Winney, R., (1981) Check list of agricultural insects of Hong Kong 1981. Agriculture and Fisheries Department Bulletin 2: 164 pp. [Government Printer, Hong Kong].
- Kendrick, R. C., (2002) Moths (Insecta: Lepidoptera) of Hong Kong. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis, The University of Hong Kong. xvi + 660 pp., 40 figs., 47 plates.
- Roger Kendrick (2002)
- 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.
- Munroe, E. G. 1967c: A new genus and a new species of Pyraustinae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).The Canadian Entomologist, Ottawa 99 (10): 1104–1110.
- Warren, W. (1892c) LIX Descriptions of new genera and species of Pyralidae contained in the B.M. Coll. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 6, 9 (53) : 389-397.