Gadessa bicincta Hampson

Taxonomy

The holotype of Lygropia bicincta Hampson, 1912h: 560-561 from Singapore is in the BMNH. Generic placement uncertain but here we treat it as Gadessa.

It may be a junior subjective syn. of Gadessa albifrons Moore 1884-1887 [1886]: 279, Pl. 180. fig. 6]; the TS of Gadessa Moore. TL Ceylon.

Gadessa Moore [1885] has been considered syn. with Dichocrocis Lederer, 1863c but is now considered distinct (RTS, 1994: 192).

Description

This is a pale ochreous brown sp. The  main fascia on the FW are narrow brown looped, often broken, post-median line and a curved ante-median line. The HW has a thin brown, looped, post-median line both wings have dark slightly elongate spots in the cell and dark termenal lines and white fringes. The base of the costa is a darker brown. It has a distinctive white frons which separates it from G. Botys [Gadessa] nilusalis Walker, 1859d: 685, which is much more brownish or greyish and has more elongate FWs. See G. albifrons which is very similar and also has the white frons. Botys [Gadessa] attemptalis Snellen, 1890: 590-591 and  Phalaena  revidata Fabricius, 1787: 215 are similar but are more ochreous and lightly marked. Schulze  (2000) taxon #195 ‘Herpetogramma sp. 5’.

References

• Fabricius, J.C. (1787) Mantissa insectorum sistens eorum species nuper detectas adiectis characteribus genericis, differentiis specificis, emendationibus, observationibus. 2. pp. [1], 1-382. Hafniae. Impensis Proft. [in Latin]
• Moore, F. (1884-1887 [1886]) Lepid. Ceylon., Vol 3, IX-XIII, xv + 578pp., pls. [71] 144-215 L. Reeve & Co., London.
• Robinson, G. S., Tuck, K. R. & Shaffer, M. (1994) A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of South-East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur & Natural History Museum, London, 311 pp. 51 text figs, 32 pls.
• [RTS] Robinson, G. S., Tuck, K. R. & Shaffer, M. (1994) A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of South-East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur & Natural History Museum, London, 311 pp. 51 text figs, 32 pls.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.
• Hampson, G. F. (1912h) Descriptions of new species of Pyralidae of the subfamily Pyraustinae, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 8, 10: 557-574.