THE AUSTRALIAN

published by

THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND

Volume 31, Part 4, 17 December 2004

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ISSN 1320 6133

THE AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGIST

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Cover: Granulaptera cooki Monteith (Hemiptera: Aradidae) is one of many wingless

species of bark bugs found in the rainforests of the Wet Tropics of northern

Queensland. This species is generally restricted to high altitudes in the northern Wet

Tropics and is most common on Mt Finnigan. Illustration by Geoff Thompson.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 137-140 137

NEW LARVAL FOODPLANT RECORDS AND NOTES ON THE

BIOLOGY OF TRAPEZITES SYMMOMUS HÜBNER, T. PRAXEDES

(PLÓTZ), T. MAHETA (HEWITSON) AND HESPERILLA SARNIA

ATKINS (LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERIIDAE: TRAPEZITINAE) FROM

SOUTHEAST QUEENSLAND

ANDREW ATKINS

PO Box 42, Eudlo, Qld 4554

Abstract

Species of Lomandra and Romnalda (Lomandraceae) are recorded as larval foodplants for the

skipper butterflies Trapezites symmomus Hübner, T. praxedes (Plótz) and T. maheta (Hewitson).

The larval foodplant of Hesperilla sarnia Atkins is confirmed as Scleria sphacelata

(Cyperaceae) in southeastern Queensland and juvenile and adult biological information is

provided.

Introduction

The Australian endemic skipper butterflies Trapezites symmomus Hübner, T.

praxedes (Plótz) and T. maheta (Hewitson) are relatively common, sympatric

but local species in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane in

southeastern Queensland. They occur in a fairly broad range of woodlands

and forest where their recorded foodplants, Lomandra spp. (Lomandraceae)

occur in the understorey.

Hesperilla sarnia Atkins is a very cryptic species of sedge skipper,

distributed in disjunct localities in southeastern, central eastern and northern

Queensland. It is rarely observed in the Sunshine Coast area; most records

refer to *hill-topping' males but otherwise its habits are virtually unknown.

Specimens have been reared from Scleria laevis (Cyperaceae) in the

Townsville area (Braby 2000) and S. sphacelata F. Muell. at Blackdown

Tableland (personal observations), but the larval foodplant was previously

unrecorded in southern Queensland.

Methods and identification

In 2002, 2003 and 2004, I surveyed areas of wallum heath, mixed woodlands

and rainforest at various localities from Beerwah to Noosa. Juvenile stages of

trapezitine skippers were collected in the field and reared to adults on

Lomandra and Scleria. Several eggs of Trapezites praxedes and T. maheta

were also obtained from captive females in netted pot plants of various

Lomandra species. Ovipositing females were also observed in the field, but

some species frequently lay eggs on substrate debris, making clear

identification of larval foodplants difficult.

The surface colour pattern of the eggs of Trapezites Hübner species is

variable but generally diagnostic, even in closely related species. Larval head

patterns can also be distinguished, particularly from the third instar onwards

(Atkins 1999).

138 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Larvae of Hesperilla sarnia differ from other species of Hesperilla Hewitson

in the darker body and head markings. It is the only species that feeds on

Scleria in sub-rainforest areas of the Sunshine Coast.

Observations

Trapezites symmomus

Larvae of trapezitine skippers were observed on several species of Lomandra

in mixed woodland. Trapezites symmomus larvae were found on L. hysterix

and L. longifolia in many areas and were also observed on cultivated plants

of the same species near suburban shopping centres. In July 2003, in old

growth rainforest near Mapleton, a mature larva of T, symmomus was found

in a silken shelter woven at the base of eaten leaves in a tussock of Romnalda

strobilacea R. Henderson & Sharpe (Lomandraceae). This is a newly

recorded genus (and species) of larval foodplant for the Trapezitinae.

Romnalda is a rare genus, with R. strobilacea known only from a few

localities in southeastern Queensland (Blackall Ranges, Eumundi, Kin Kin)

(Bedford et al. 1986). A second species, R. grallata, is recorded from

northern Queensland while a third species, R. papua, occurs in Papua New

Guinea. A search of material held at the Sydney Herbarium revealed typical

trapezitine angled larval feeding cuts on the leaves of dried specimens of

Romnalda from both Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Trapezites praxedes

Second to third larval instars of trapezitine larvae (probably T. praxedes)

were also found at the base of Lomandra spicata and L. laxa, at Nambour and

Noosa respectively, in early August 2003. Lomandra laxa is a new foodplant

record for Trapezites, not listed by Braby (2000). Observations on adult

seasonality and larval size suggest that 7. praxedes has three broods each

year, from September to October, December to January and March to April.

Trapezites maheta

In October 2000, two second instar larvae and a mature final instar larva of T.

maheta were found on Lomandra multiflora at Rustic Cabin, north of

Landsborough. At Pomona in March 2004, a female 7. maheta oviposited on

L. filiformis and a third instar larva was collected on L. confertifolia. These

are new foodplant records for this skipper. At Eudlo, 7. maheta has two

broods each year, from October to November and February to March, but in

favourable seasons they might have a third brood, since three of the Pomona

larvae (reared indoors) pupated in late autumn and a male emerged in May.

Hesperilla sarnia

The genus Hesperilla contains a number of locally distributed species. H.

sarnia is known only from isolated populations in southeastern, central

eastern and northern Queensland (Braby 2000). Distinctive larval tube

shelters and serrated ‘V’ cuts on leaf edges of Scleria sphacelata,

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 139

characteristic of this skipper, were observed at Landsborough, Eudlo,

Buderim, Chevallum, Forest Glen, Kunda Park, Palmwoods, Parklands,

Montville, Mapleton and north of Yandina during the survey. Only 14 sites

(larvae and/or freshly constructed shelters) were found at these localities and

were sparsely distributed within certain mixed forest communities, some

remnant and a few bordering urban and suburban areas. The Palmwoods site

confirms a very early locality record for H. sarnia (known then as H.

sexguttata Herrich-Scháffer) by L. Franzen in 1902 (see Atkins 1978).

The habitats of these southern populations of H. sarnia were mostly wet

sclerophyll / rainforest associations, differing somewhat from the open, dry

woodlands and ravine palm forest of the Blackdown Tableland, central

Queensland (personal observation). Although the foodplant generally occurs

in isolated but large colonies (mostly on eroded sandstone soils), the breeding

sites tended to be very local and broadly scattered through the woodland.

Most were localised within dark, damp areas, especially near the banks of

permanent streams adjacent to old growth rainforest, or within sub-rainforest

woodlands situated on undulating slopes, generally with a bracken fern

ground cover and mossy logs. None were found in elevated rocky areas, such

as those found in northern Queensland (Johnson and Valentine 1983).

Typical breeding sites consisted of a colony of numerous (100+), medium to

small Scleria sedges, randomly clustered together in smaller subgroups. A

few of these clusters contained from one to five larval shelters of various

sizes. Only one, rarely two larvae occupied individual plants.

Home-reared larvae vacated their first made shelter within a few weeks to

occupy new (2-4 consecutive) shelters on adjoining plants, even when plenty

of foliage was still available on the original tussocks. In other species of

Hesperilla, as the larva grows, a maximum of two to three shelters (including

the first instar) are made, usually on the same tussock, with pupation

occurring in the final shelter (personal observations). It may be that the larvae

of H. sarnia remake shelters to confuse or avoid attack by parasites, or

perhaps it is an acquired evasive measure to avoid the retaliatory toxins

produced by the invaded plants. Captive larvae of H. sarnia fed during

daylight hours, generally from 0800-0930 and again from 1600-1700 EST.

They ceased feeding in late November and remained in diapause for several

weeks.

Aestivation of H. sarnia larvae was suggested by Braby (2000) and has also

been recorded for H. donnysa Hewitson (personal observation). During early

summer, a few sites contained both late and second instar larvae, suggesting a

two brood annual cycle, but generally the larvae were very similar in size,

indicating that there would normally be a coordinated emergence of adults in

late spring and/or late summer, probably dependant on rainfall regimes.

Larvae of H. sarnia from the Sunshine Coast are similar to those from central

140 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Queensland and match the description of those from northern Queensland

given by Johnson and Valentine (1983).

In March 2003 (at 1200 h), at Kunda Park, a female H. sarnia was observed

flying low around many clumps of Scleria sphacelata, settling briefly only on

a few plants before rapidly moving on. No oviposition was recorded during

the five minutes of observation. This supports the view that females on the

Sunshine Coast are very specific in their choice of breeding sites and

probably oviposit sporadically on widely dispersed and individually selected

plants.

Acknowledgements

I thank Murdoch De Baar for information and a locality for H. sarnia. Bob

Miller also read a draft of this manuscript.

References

ATKINS, A.F. 1978. The Hesperilla malindeva group from northern Australia, including a new

species (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 17: 205-

217.

ATKINS, A.F. 1999. The skippers, Trapezites (Hesperiidae). Chapter 5, pp 75-104, in: Kitching,

R.L., Scheermeyer, E., Jones, R.E. and Pierce, N.E. (eds), Biology of Australian butterflies.

Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera, Vol. 6. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood; xvi + 395 pp.

BEDFORD, D.J., LEE, A.T., MacFARLANE, T.D., HENDERSON, R.J.F. and GEORGE, A.S.

1986. Xanthorrhoeaceae. Pp 88-171, in: George, A.S. (ed.), Flora of Australia. Vol. 46,

Iridaceae to Dioscoraceae. Australian Government Publishing, Canberra; 247 pp.

BRABY, M.F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia their identification, biology and distribution.

CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood; xxvii + 976 pp.

JOHNSON, SJ. and VALENTINE, P.S. 1983. Notes on the biology and morphology of

Hesperilla sarnia Atkins (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Australian Entomological Magazine 10(1):

6-8.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 141-146 141

A NEW SPECIES OF ACRODIPSAS SANDS (LEPIDOPTERA:

LYCAENIDAE) FROM THE NORTHERN TERRITORY

C.G. MILLER and D.A. LANE

PO Box 336, Lennox Head, NSW 2478

3 Janda St, Atherton, Qld 4883

Abstract

Acrodipsas decima sp. n. is described, figured and recorded from the Northern Territory. It is

compared with the closely related A. hirtipes Sands from northern Queensland and is assigned to

the i/lidgei species group based on leg structure.

Introduction

The genus Acrodipsas Sands currently contains nine species, divided into two

groups based on leg structure (Miller and Edwards 1978, Sands 1979) - the

illidgei group, with swollen fore and hind femora and mid tibia shorter than

basitarsus, and the myrmecophila group, without swollen femora and mid

tibia longer than basitarsus. Since 1991, specimens of a tenth species have

been taken by several collectors, including the authors, on a hill known as

Burrells Trig on the Daly River Road, south of Darwin in the Northern

Territory. Although previously recognised by the authors as being close to,

but having differences from A. hirtipes Sands from northeastern Queensland,

the status of this species remained uncertain until recently. Noticeable

differences in wing shape and pattern, as well as genitalia differences,

coupled with the suggestion by Eastwood and Hughes (2003) that closer

scrutiny was warranted due to significant DNA sequence divergence, allowed

the separation of the two species to be made.

Acrodipsas decima sp. n.

(Figs 1-4, 9, 10, 13)

Types. Holotype €, NORTHERN TERRITORY: Burrells Trig, Daly River Road,

17.v.1991, C.G. Miller, genitalia slide ANIC18543. Paratypes: 1 9, same data as

holotype but dated 18.v.1991, C.G. Miller, (both in Australian National Insect

Collection, Canberra (ANIC)); 1 0”, 1 9, same data but 8, 12.v.1991, C.G. Miller (in

C.G. Miller collection); 1 o', Burrells Trig, 18.v.1991, J.W.C. d'Apice (in J. W.C.

d'Apice collection); 2 00’, Burrells Trig, 13.v.1991, D.N. Wilson; 1 0, same data but

24.iv.1991 (in ANIC); 1 0’, 1 9, Mt Burrell, 24.iv.1995, D.A. Lane; 2 00", same data

but 22.11.1992, D.N. Wilson (in D.A. Lane collection); 2 O'O', same data but

6.ix.1992, 26.11.1996, C.E. Meyer (in C.E. Meyer collection); 1 0’, same data but

22.1v.1991, S.S. Brown (in S. Brown collection); 3 O'O', same data but 25.ii.1995,

12.xi.1995, R. Weir (in R. Weir collection); 1 O', same data but 1-8.v.1993, A.I.

Knight (in T. Lambkin collection).

Male (Figs 1-2). Antennal length (holotype) 5.5 mm; dorsal surface of shaft

dark brown with segmental bands pale yellow; club black basally narrowing

towards orange apex. Head, palpus, thorax and abdomen dorsally dark brown

with lighter brown hairs, ventrally pale grey. Forewing length (holotype) 11

mm; costa slightly bowed, apex pointed, termen weakly convex; upperside

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Figs 1-8. Acrodipsas species. (1) A. decima sp. n., paratype male, upperside; (2) same

specimen, underside; (3) A. decima paratype female, upperside; (4) same specimen,

underside; (5) A. hirtipes male, upperside; (6) same specimen, underside; (7) A.

hirtipes female, upperside; (8) same specimen, underside.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 143

apical two thirds brown with very faint brown terminal line; cilia brown with

white tips; veins M, to 1A+2A and discocellulars with thin covering of black

scales becoming fainter towards termen; basal third, extending along three

quarters of inner margin but not to tornus, dull copper. Hindwing with termen

convex, apex rounded; upperside between costa and CuA; brown, paler

between CuA, and 1A+2A; an ill defined darker brown streak between

1A+2A and inner margin; a triangular black spot between CuA, and CuA;

and a smaller semicircular black spot between CuA, and 1A+2A; very small

and faint blue dusting along the basal sides of these spots; a more pronounced

blue terminal line broken by veins between 1A+2A and CuA;; cilia brown

basally with white tips between veins, brown throughout at the veins, giving

a dull chequered effect. Forewing underside pale grey-brown with brownish-

white between postmedian and subterminal bands; a small subbasal band in

cell, a broken submedian band and a partial median band between M, and

M;, and a straight, broad, prominent postmedian band, not parallel to

submedian band, all orange-brown bordered then white; subterminal band

darker brown with white borders parallel to termen. Hindwing underside pale

grey brown; subbasal band consisting of a dark brown spot on Sc+R; and

narrow orange band in cell; narrow median band between M; and CuA;;

prominent irregular postmedian band with sections displaced towards termen

at M; and CuA;,, orange-brown bordered by dark brown then white, the white

being most conspicuous between CuA, and 1A+2A; a short narrow black line

between 1A+2A and inner margin; subterminal band crenulated, parallel to

termen, separated from terminal line by orange patches between M; and

1A+2A; a prominent black spot in orange patch between CuA, and CuA, and

small black spot at tornus; terminal line faint, pale grey.

Mid leg (Fig. 13, ANIC slide 18544) with fore and hind femora swollen and

mid tibia shorter than the first tarsal segment.

Male genitalia (Figs 9-10, ANIC slide 18543). Vinculum + tegumen ring

nearly circular; prominent blunt saccus; margin of tegumen slightly curved;

lobe of sociuncus hirsute, broad and square with straight margin; uncus

bifurcate with minimal divergence, tips blunt; brachium slender with apical

section longer than basal section; valva with broad base strongly tapered to

slender apical section pointed tip; aedeagus (Fig. 10) with prominently

rounded pre-zonal sheath anteroventrally; post-zonal sheath slightly rounded

beyond mid point.

Female (Figs 3-4). Antennal length 4.5 mm; colour of antennae similar to

male; colour of head, palpi, thorax and abdomen black above, beneath

greyish-white. Forewing length 10 mm; costa, termen and apex more rounded

than in male; colour sooty black; cilia black with white at extreme tips.

Hindwing more rounded than in male; upperside sooty black with dusting of

blue scales between CuA, and 1A+2A extending towards termen; terminal

line very faint and narrow, blue; a prominent black spot between CuA, and

144 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Ant

12

13

Figs 9-13. Acrodipsas species. (9) male genitalia of A. decima sp. n., holotype male,

ANIC slide 18543; (10) aedeagus of holotype male, ANIC slide 18543; (11) male

genitalia of A. hirtipes, ANIC slide 18542; (12) aedeagus of A. hirtipes, ANIC slide

18542; (13) mid leg of A. decima, ANIC slide 18544.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 145

CuA,, edged orange; other less prominent black spots between M; and

1A+2A narrowly edged blue; cilia background colour slightly darker with

bands darker and more conspicuous. Hindwing underside as in male but with

bands darker and more clearly defined on a slightly darker background; area

between postmedian and subterminal bands more grey than in male.

Etymology. Named as the tenth known species of Acrodipsas.

Discussion

Acrodipsas decima is presently known from a single hilltop, 57 km E of Daly

River in the Northern Territory. Adult hilltopping behaviour is typical of the

genus as described by Sands (1979), with males arriving towards midday and

females arriving in the early afternoon. Like other members of the genus, set

specimens of A. decima are prone to become greasy.

A. decima may be distinguished from A. hirtipes (Figs 5-8, 11, 12) by

noticeable differences in the antennae, wing shape, colour and band position,

and distinct differences in the male genitalia. In A. decima males the tip of

the forewing apex is more prolonged and pointed than in A. hirtipes and the

termen is straighter. The shape of the hind wing is deeper and more rounded

than in A. hirtipes, but not as square as in A. melania Sands. Similar,

although less pronounced, differences exist in the wing shape of the females.

The colour in the male upper side of A. decima is generally darker with the

black dusting on the discal veins seen in A. hirtipes not as evident. Beneath,

male A. decima are greyish-brown whereas those of A. hirtipes are darker

brown. In A. decima the postmedian band is broader, straighter and closer to

the subterminal band than in A. hirtipes; it approaches even more closely to

the subterminal band towards the inner margin, whereas in A. hirtipes the two

bands are parallel. The relative position of these bands on the hindwing

underside is similar to those on the forewing. All bands in A. decima are

more strongly edged white than in A. hirtipes. The male genitalia of A.

decima (Figs 9-10) differ significantly from those of A. hirtipes (Figs 11-12).

The shape of the vinculum + tegumen ring is much more rounded in A.

decima, with the saccus more prominent and the sociuncus lobe less rounded

and more square than in A. hirtipes. The uncus in A. decima is less divergent

and straighter with squared tips. The brachium in A. decima is shorter and

less curved towards the apex. The pre-zonal sheath of the aedeagus in A.

decima is also more prominent and rounded than in A. hirtipes. Although

variable in extent, the three known females of A. decima all have blue dusting

on the hindwing upperside, whereas no blue is found on the hindwing of any

of the known females of A. hirtipes. The sooty black background colour is

similar on the female uppersides of both species.

Braby (2000), under his discussion of variation in A. hirtipes, also refers to

the differences in wing shape in specimens from Burrells Trig, N.T.

146 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

DNA studies conducted on Acrodipsas by Eastwood and Hughes (2003)

showed a 1.03% sequence divergence between A. decima and A. hirtipes,

compared with 0.8% divergence between A. illidgei (Waterhouse & Lyell)

and A. arcana (Miller & Edwards).

The leg structure of A. decima places it in the i/lidgei group of Acrodipsas,

along with A. hirtipes, A. melania, A. arcana and A. mortoni Sands, Miller &

Kerr (Miller and Edwards 1978, Sands 1979, Sands et al. 1997). The small

number of specimens of A. decima currently known (16 males, 3 females) is

considered due to its irregular appearance at a single remote locality.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Steve Brown, John d'Apice, Cliff Meyer, Don Sands,

Richard Weir and Trevor Lambkin for access to specimens in their

possession or care. We are especially grateful to Ted Edwards (ANIC) for his

assistance with genitalia dissection and preparation, and to Vanna Rangsi

(ANIC) for preparation of the genitalia and leg images. Dave Wilson

(Darwin) generously donated his collected specimens.

References

BRABY, M.F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and distribution. 2

vols. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne; xx + 976 pp.

EASTWOOD, R. and HUGHES, J.M. 2003. Molecular phylogeny and evolutionary biology of

Acrodipsas (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 27: 93-102.

MILLER, C.G. and EDWARDS, E.D. 1978. A new species of Pseudodipsas C. and R. Felder

(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from northern New South Wales. Australian Entomological

Magazine 5: 45-50.

SANDS, D.P.A. 1979. A new genus, Acrodipsas, for a group of Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera)

previously referred to Pseudodipsas C. and R. Felder, with descriptions of two new species from

northern Queensland. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 18: 251-265.

SANDS, D.P.A., MILLER, C.G. and KERR, J.F.R. 1997. A new species of Acrodipsas Sands

(Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from inland New South Wales and southern Queensland. Australian

Journal of Entomology 36: 19-23.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 147-150 147

THE HAWK MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA: SPHINGIDAE) OF DAUAN

ISLAND, NORTHERN TORRES STRAIT, QUEENSLAND

R.B. LACHLAN! and A.I. KNIGHT?

'Entomology Department, Australian Museum, 6 College St, Sydney, NSW 2010

270 Exton Road, Exton, Tas 7303

Abstract

Records are provided for 31 species of hawk moths from Dauan Island, northern Torres Strait.

Three species, Acherontia lachesis (Fabricius), Megacorma obliqua (Walker) and Theretra

insularis insularis (Swinhoe), are newly recorded from within Australian limits and two further

species, Hippotion scrofa (Boisduval) and Nephele hespera (Fabricius), have extended their

recorded northern Australian ranges.

Introduction

The hawk moths of the Torres Strait are not well documented when

compared with Queensland and the remainder of Australia. This is

particularly so in the case of the northern islands that are closer to Papua New

Guinea than to Cape York Peninsula. Moulds (1985) recorded ten species of

Macroglossum Scopoli from islands in the southern Torres Strait below

Latitude 10°S. Lachlan (1988) recorded Daphnis dohertyi Rothschild from

Dauan Island and Eurypteryx molucca R. Felder from nearby Boigu Island.

Common (1990) cited only two species, Daphnis placida placida (Walker)

from “the islands of Torres Strait? and Hippotion velox (Fabricius) “from

Thursday Island to northeastern New South Wales'. The newly described

Gnathothlibus australiensis Lachlan was recorded from Dauan Island by

Lachlan (2004).

Dauan Island (9°25’S, 142°32’E) lies about 9 km south of the Papua New

Guinea southern coastline, 4.5 km WSW of Saibai Island and approximately

125 km due north of Cape York. The island itself is only about 2.5 km from

E to W by 2.5 km from N to S and is dominated by Mount Cornwallis, the

second highest point in Torres Strait at 295 metres. The slopes of this granite

mountain are covered predominately with monsoonal vine thickets, grading

to grassland and brackish areas at high water level with mangroves on the

mudflats and sandy beaches.

Very little rain fell during the extensive 2004 survey, occurring mostly at

night. Most days were sunny or slightly overcast with only a few days of

strong wind.

Our first survey was carried out in early January 1987 by RBL. The second,

far more extensive survey was conducted between 14 January and 2 February

and between 16 February and 2 March, 2004 by AIK. The 31 species

collected during these surveys are listed in Table 1.

All specimens are in the collection of RBL; duplicates are held by the

Queensland Museum, Brisbane and the Australian Museum, Sydney.

148

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Table 1. List of hawk moths collected on Dauan Island, northern Torres Strait, during

the 1987 and 2004 surveys. An asterisk (*) indicates a previously unrecorded species

within Australian limits.

Species

Agrius convolvuli (Linnaeus)

Acherontia lachesis (Fabricius) *

Megacorma obliqua (Walker) *

Psilogramma papuensis Brechlin

Cephonodes picus (Cramer)

Gnathothlibus erotus eras (Boisduval)

Gnathothlibus australiensis Lachlan

Daphnis dohertyi Rothschild

Daphnis hypothous moorei W.J. Macleay

Daphnis placida placida Walker

Daphnis protrudens R. Felder

Acosmeryx anceus anceus (Stoll)

Nephele hespera (Fabricius)

Macroglossum vacillans (Walker)

Macroglossum corythus pylene (C. Felder)

Macroglossum rectans Rothschild & Jordan

Macroglossum dohertyi dohertyi (Rothschild)

Macroglossum micaceum micaceum (Walker)

Macroglossum tenebrosum (Lucas)

Hippotion velox (Fabricius)

Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus)

Hippotion rosetta (Swinhoe)

Hippotion boerhaviae (Fabricius)

Hippotion scrofa (Boisduval)

Theretra nessus (Drury)

Theretra insularis insularis (Swinhoe) *

Theretra clotho celata (Butler)

Theretra indistincta (Butler)

Theretra latreillii latreillii (W.S.Macleay)

Theretra oldenlandiae firmata (Walker)

Theretra silhetensis intersecta (Butler)

Notes

Common

One male

One male

Common

Two males

Very common

One male

Common

Not uncommon

Common

One female

Common

One male, one female

One male, three females

One male

One female

Three males

Large numbers over a few days

One male

Common

Two males

Common

Common

Common

Very common

One male

Common

Common

Not common

Common

Common

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 149

Fig.1. Acherontia lachesis from Tabubil, Papua New Guinea.

Discussion

Fourteen species of hawk moths were collected during the 1987 survey and a

further 17 were added to the list in 2004, including three species not

previously recorded within Australian limits, viz. Acherontia lachesis

(Fabricius) (Fig. 1), Megacorma obliqua (Walker) and Theretra insularis

insularis (Swinhoe). Two further species, Hippotion scrofa (Boisduval) and

Nephele hespera (Fabricius) have extended their previously recorded

northern Australian ranges.

Despite intensive collecting by AIK over four and a half weeks during the

2004 survey, it is interesting to note that several species found in both Papua

New Guinea and Australia were not encountered. Although Dauan Island is

politically Australian, given its close proximity to the Papua New Guinea

mainland it is clearly both geographically and faunistically part of Papua

New Guinea, so the three new records from Australian territory are not

surprising. Acherontia lachesis was first recorded by Moulds and Lachlan

(1998), after having been collected by RBL in the Tabubil - Ok Tedi mine

area (near the Indonesia / Papua New Guinea border) in numbers in 1993.

Previously it was only known from India to the Moluccas and the Philippines

but was unrecorded from the main island of New Guinea. As it has now been

taken as far east as Madang in Papua New Guinea (Larry Orsak, pers.

comm.), its newly detected presence in the northern Torres Strait may suggest

itis moving south towards the Australian mainland.

150 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Acknowledgements

We are most grateful to Chairperson Mrs Margaret Mau and her Dauan

Island Council for permission to visit the island to survey the butterflies and

hawk moths and for providing accommodation during the four and a half

weeks spent on the island. We also thank Jeff Wright (Queensland Museum)

for preparing the photograph. For comments on the manuscript we sincerely

thank Dr Max Moulds (Australian Museum, Sydney).

References

COMMON, I.F.B. 1990. Moths of Australia. Melbourne University Press, Carlton; vi - 535 pp,

32 pls.

LACHLAN, R.B. 1988. New distribution records for some butterflies and hawk moths from far

northern Queensland. Australian Entomological Magazine 14(6): 87-88.

LACHLAN, R.B. 2004. Description of a second species of Gnathothlibus Wallengren

(Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Australia. Australian Entomologist 31(3): 111-118.

MOULDS, M.S. 1985. A review of the Australian hawk moths of the genus Macroglossum

Scopoli (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Australian Entomological Magazine 12(5): 81-105.

MOULDS, M.S. and LACHLAN, R.B. 1998. An annotated list of the hawk moths (Lepidoptera:

Sphingidae) of Western Province, Papua New Guinea. Australian Entomologist 25(2): 45-60.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 151-168 151

NOTES ON THE GENUS EUPHRANTA LOEW (DIPTERA:

TEPHRITIDAE), WITH DESCRIPTION OF FOUR NEW SPECIES

D.L. HANCOCK' and R.A.I. DREW?

"PO Box 2464, Cairns, Old 4870

"Australian School of Environmental Studies, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111

Abstract

Euphranta betikamae sp. n., E. fuscata sp. n. and E. isabellae sp. n. are described from the

Solomon Archipelago and £. sabahensis sp. n. is described from Sabah, East Malaysia. Four new

synonymies are proposed: E. maculifemur (de Meijere) [= E. flavizona Hardy, syn. n.]; £.

notabilis (van der Wulp), comb. n. [= £. canangae Hardy, syn. n.]; E. rudis (Walker) [= E.

balteata Hardy, syn. n.]; E. zeylanica (Senior-White) [= E. conjuncta Hendel, syn. n.].

Paraeuphranta Hardy is newly synonymised with Euphranta Loew and E. furcifer (Walker),

comb. n. is transferred. New country records are provided for E. apicalis Hendel, E. corticicola

(Hering), E. lemniscoides Hancock & Drew, E. macularis (Wiedemann), E. notabilis (van der

Wulp), E. meringae Permkam & Hancock and £. solitaria Hardy. The 102 described species are

placed in 20 groups and a list of known host plants is provided.

Introduction

The genus Euphranta Loew contains over 100 species of fruit flies belonging

to the trypetine tribe Adramini. They are primarily Indo-Australian, with only

two species reaching Europe and two occurring in North America.

Surprisingly, the genus has not been reported from Sulawesi. With very few

exceptions the species are monophagous and breed almost exclusively in

fruit. They are difficult to collect unless bred and most are poorly represented

in collections. Australasian species were revised by Hardy (1983) and

Permkam and Hancock (1995), with additional records provided by Hancock

and Drew (1994, 1995, 2003), Chua and Hancock (1999), Chua (2000, 2002)

and Norrbom and Hancock (2004). More recently, a small but interesting

collection was sent to us from the University of Hawaii, containing four

undescribed species. These had been provisionally sorted and studied by the

late D. Elmo Hardy.

Prior to studying these new species, we undertook a review of the genus. As a

result, we detected two generically misplaced species plus one generic and

four new specific synonymies. We also found that the recognition of

subgenera on setal characteristics was untenable, confirming the view of

Permkam and Hancock (1995). Thus, Paraeuphranta Hardy, syn. n.,

Rhacochlaena Loew and Xanthotrypeta Malloch are placed in synonymy

with Euphranta, with no subgenera recognised. The 102 accepted species are

placed here as far as possible into species groups. The two generically

misplaced species, E. luteifasciata (Senior-White) from Sri Lanka and E.

bifasciata Hardy from Malaysia, will be referred to separate genera by

Hancock and Drew (in press).

The following collection acronyms have been used: ANIC - Australian

National Insect Collection, Canberra; BMNH - The Natural History Museum,

152 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

London; BPBM - Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu; CAS - California

Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; MHNG - Museum d'Histoire

Naturelle, Geneva; UH - University of Hawaii, Honolulu.

Systematics

Euphranta apicalis Hendel

Material examined. INDONESIA: 1 of, Siantar, Sumatra, xii.1963, Otto-Surbeck

(MHNG).

Comments. This widespread South East Asian species is newly recorded from

Indonesia.

Euphranta betikamae sp. n.

(Fig. 1)

Types. Holotype &, SOLOMON ISLANDS: Guadalcanal, Betikama R., viii.1960,

W.W. Brandt (BPBM). Paratype 9, [New Georgia group], Vella Lavella, Ulo Crater,

10 m, xii.1963, malaise trap (BPBM).

Description. Male. Length of body, 6.5 mm; of wing, 5.5 mm. Head slightly

higher than long. Antennae abraded in type. Face concave, yellow except

brown along oral margin. Frons fulvous laterally, broadly fuscous medially;

pale pubescent; with 2 pairs of frontal and 1 pair of orbital setae, the frontal

setae widely separated with the upper pair just before the orbitals; ocellar

setae absent. Occiput largely black behind eyes, fulvous dorsomedially;

postocellar setae present.

Thorax mostly black with greyish tomentosity; proepisternum largely

fulvous; posterior half of postpronotal lobe, notopleural callus and along

suture yellow; anterior half of postpronotal lobe brown; anepisternum with a

yellow posterior band as wide as notopleural callus and overlaid with grey

tomentosity; scutum with a broad, yellow prescutellar marking, bordered by

dorsocentral setae and bluntly pointed anteriorly. Scutellum blackish-brown

on disc, yellow marginally; subscutellum and mediotergite black. With a full

complement of thoracic setae except presuturals and prescutellar acrostichals;

dorsocentrals placed midway between supra-alars and scutellum; 1

anepisternal; 4 scutellars. Haltere orange. Legs with fore femur fulvous with

a subapical brown band, fore tibiae brownish; mid and hind femora and tibiae

largely blackish-brown and tarsi dark fulvous; middle tibia with an apical

black spine.

Wing (Fig. 1) with a large, blackish-brown apical area, from pterostigma to

vein M at base of cell dm, diagonally crossing cell dm from R-M to wing

margin at apex of vein Cu, leaving apex of cell ra, with a whitish spot not

reaching vein R4,5; cell m with a distinct hyaline indentation posteriorly; cell

c and basal part of cell br pale fuscous; cell cu; entirely hyaline. Pterostigma

blackish-brown. Veins R; and basal quarter of R4.5 setose; R-M crossvein

near middle of cell dm, below apex of pterostigma; cell bcu apically acute.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 153

Figs 1-4. Euphranta spp., wings. (1) E. betikamae sp. n., male; (2) E. fuscata sp. n.,

male; (3) E. isabellae sp. n., female; (4) E. sabahensis sp. n., female.

154 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Abdomen elongate, broadest at tergite III; black except terga I+II and III with

a quadrate orange medial area. Tergite V a little longer than tergite IV.

Female. As for male except face brown with a narrow yellow area below

antennal bases; antennae orange, shorter than face, with third segment

apically rounded and arista plumose; scutellum blackish-brown; abdomen

elongate with all terga black and tergite VI about 0.7 times as long as tergite

V; oviscape brownish-black, as long as terga IV-VI combined.

Etymology. Named after the type locality, Betikama River.

Distribution. Known from Guadalcanal and the New Georgia group, western

Solomon Islands.

Comments. This species appears to belong in the scutellata group, closest to

E. vitabilis Hardy from the Bismarck Archipelago and £. fuscata sp. n. from

Bougainville and Santa Isabel. It differs from E. vitabilis in lacking the broad

hyaline indentation on the wing beyond the pterostigma and from E. fuscata

in the well defined hyaline indentations in wing cells r4,5 and m.

Euphranta corticicola (Hering)

Material examined. SINGAPORE: 1 o', H.N. Ridley, 1900-242 (BMNH). INDIA: 6

o'd, 2 99, Haldwani Div., Uttar Pradesh, 11.11.1923, R.N. Parker, ex Dysoxylum

binectariferum fruits (BMNH).

Comments. 'This species, placed in the camelliae group, is newly recorded

from India and Singapore. Indian specimens differ from those from

Singapore and Java (see Hardy 1983) in having brown facial spots and the

wing bands more distinctly curved. Thailand specimens are intermediate

(Hardy 1983, Hancock and Drew 1994) and more information is required

(particularly host plant data for non-Indian populations) in order to determine

if a complex of species is involved. All have the characteristic fuscous tibiae,

a character separating E. corticicola from the Japanese E. separata (Ito),

which has yellow tibiae. The latter is sometimes regarded as a synonym of £.

oshimensis (Shiraki) but has a narrower apical hyaline spot on the wing and a

yellow, posteriorly expanded medial band on the scutum. Indian specimens

were bred from the fruit of Dysoxylum binectariferum (Meliaceae).

Euphranta furcifer (Walker), comb. n.

Material examined. INDONESIA: Lectotype 0’, Gilolo [Maluku], W.W. Saunders,

BM 1868-4 (BMNH).

Comments. Dacus furcifer Walker is transferred from Paraeuphranta Hardy,

placed here as a new synonym of Euphranta. It is placed in the macularis

group, characterised by the wing pattern, very short pterostigma and slender

abdomen. The presence of a few fore femoral spines was used by Hardy

(1959) to define Paraeuphranta, but these also occur in E. macularis

(Wiedemann) (Hardy 1974). E. furcifer is known only from the northern

Moluccas, Indonesia.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 155

Euphranta fuscata sp. n.

(Fig. 2)

Types. Holotype d, SOLOMON ISLANDS: Santa Ysabel, Molao, Maringe Dist.,

30.vi.1960, C.W. O'Brien (BPBM). Paratypes: | &', Santa Ysabel, Sukapisu, 900 m,

18.vi.1960, C.W. O'Brien (BPBM); 1 €, Solomon Isl, vii-viii.1909, Froggatt

(ANIC). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 1 0’, Solomon Is. [sic], Bougainville I., Konga, ii-

i11.1961, W.W. Brandt (ANIC).

Description. Male. Length of body, 6.5 mm; of wing, 5.5 mm. Head as for £.

betikamae except face with lower two-thirds brown and antennae orange,

shorter than face, with third segment apically rounded and arista plumose.

Thorax and legs as for E. betikamae except scutellum with or without yellow

margin and posterior half of postpronotal lobe, notopleural callus and suture

with yellow markings less distinct, tending yellow-brown. Wing (Fig. 2) as

for E. betikamae except more elongate, with brown area in cell dm narrower

apically and hyaline indentations in cells r4,; and m less distinct, being

diffuse or virtually absent. Abdomen as for E. betikamae except orange

medial band often extends to tergite IV.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The name fuscata is derived from the mostly dark wing.

Distribution. Known from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea and Santa

Isabel, eastern Solomon Islands.

Comments. This species appears to belong in the scutellata group, closest to

E. betikamae sp. n. from the western Solomon Is and differing primarily in

the more elongate wing with diffuse rather than distinct hyaline indentations

in cells r4,5 and m.

Euphranta isabellae sp. n.

(Fig. 3)

Types. Holotype 9, SOLOMON ISLANDS: Santa Ysabel, SE, Tatamba, 0-50 m,

7.ix.1964, R. Straatman, malaise trap (BPBM). Paratype 9, same data but 14.ix.1964

(BPBM).

Description. Female. Length of body (excluding oviscape), 6 mm; of wing,

5.5 mm. Head as for £. betikamae except face yellow, frons fulvous laterally,

broadly brown medially and occiput fulvous, darker behind eyes.

Thorax with scutum red-brown, darker medially; pleura mostly fulvous,

tending red-brown on lower part of anepisternum and katepisternum red-

brown to fuscous; postpronotal lobe, notopleural callus, along suture and a

band across anterior notopleural seta connecting postpronotal lobe and

notopleural callus yellow; scutum with a broad, quadrate, yellow prescutellar

marking bordered at anterior corners by dorsocentral setae, reaching hind

margin of scutum and united posteriorly with a pair of lateral postsutural

yellow vittae. Scutellum yellow. Subscutellum and mediotergite fuscous.

156 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

With a full complement of thoracic setae except presuturals; prescutellar

acrostichals present; dorsocentrals placed a little behind line of supra-alars; 2

anepisternals; 4 scutellars. Haltere fulvous. Legs mostly fulvous, fore tibiae

browner; apical quarter of mid and hind femora and mid and hind tibiae

brown; middle tibia with an apical black spine.

Wing (Fig. 3) with three brown transverse bands, one from apex of cell c and

base of pterostigma to base of cell cu; one from apical three-fifths of

pterostigma across R-M crossvein and cell dm to wing margin over apical

half of cell cuj; and one broad subapical band leaving apices of cells rı at

posterior tip, r+3 and r4,; broadly and m at extreme anterior tip hyaline; this

band connected to previous band in cell cu;, leaving an incomplete, narrow,

triangular indentation between them from costa at apex of pterostigma to vein

Cu, near posterior apex of cell dm. Pterostigma blackish-brown; base of cell c

and just below it brownish. Veins R; and most of Ry; setose; R-M crossvein

near middle of cell dm, below apex of pterostigma; cell bcu apically acute.

Abdomen elongate, fuscous except terga I-II medially and most of tergite VI

red-brown. Tergite VI about 0.8 times length of tergite V. Oviscape conical,

red-brown, about as long as terga V and VI combined.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the island of Santa Isabel.

Distribution. Known only from Santa Isabel, eastern Solomon Islands.

Comments. This species belongs in the crux group, close to E. bischofi

(Kertész) from Papua New Guinea and E. minor Hendel from Australia. It

differs from both these species in the more extensive yellow prescutellar

patch on the scutum, the intermediate length of the hyaline indentation

beyond the pterostigma and the lack of a subapical hyaline indentation in

wing cell ri.

Euphranta laosica Hardy

Material examined. MALAYSIA: 1 C, Johor, Keluang, 28.x.1981, Salasiah (BMNH).

Comments. The male was previously unrecorded. The abdomen has tergite III

mostly fulvous with a broad black basomedial area. The anepisternum has

three setae (one medial and two posterior), typical of the zey/anica group to

which it is referred.

Euphranta lemniscoides Hancock & Drew

Material examined. SOLOMON ISLANDS: 1 0”, New Georgia group, Kolombangara

I., Pepele, 30 m, 10.11.1964, P. Shanahan (BPBM). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 1 9, New

Britain, Mt Sinewit, 3500’, 27.vi.-17.ix.1963, W.W. Brandt (ANIC); 1 o”, Nissan

group, Green I., 2.iv.1961, W. Brandt (ANIC).

Comments. Described from Guadalcanal (Hancock and Drew 2003), this

species is newly recorded from the New Georgia group and from the

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 157

Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. The female oviscape is dark red-

brown to black and elongate, a little longer than the rest of the abdomen.

Euphranta macularis (Wiedemann)

Material examined. MALAYSIA: 1 ©, Perak, Batang Padang, Kuala Woh,

22.i11.1940; 1 Oo”, Pahang, Fraser's Hill, 4200 ft, 21.vii.1936 (both BMNH).

Comments. This species is newly recorded from Peninsular Malaysia.

Euphranta maculifemur (de Meijere)

Material examined. INDONESIA: 1 0”, Sumatra, Sumatera Barat, 15 km E of Padang,

forested foothills, 25.vii.1983, E.S. Ross (CAS).

Comments. This species was confused in the literature until its identity was

clarified by Hancock and Drew (1994). The male was previously unrecorded.

The above specimen has distinct subapical dark markings on all femora, no

expansion of the fore basitarsus and weak prescutellar acrostichal setae.

Euphranta flavizona Hardy, 1983, differs only in the apparent absence of

these acrostichal setae and is placed as a new synonym of E. maculifemur (de

Meijere, 1924). It occurs in Sumatra, Java, Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

Euphranta marina Permkam & Hancock

Material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 1 œ, Central Province, Yule Island,

14.iv.1974, J.P. Spradbury (ANIC); 1 9, Central Province, Gaba Gaba, 20.v.1984,

J.W. Ismay (UH).

Comments. This mangrove inhabiting species is newly recorded from Central

Province.

Euphranta meringae Permkam & Hancock

Material examined. SOLOMON ISLANDS: 1 0%, Guadalcanal, Honiara, 0-100 m,

xii.1974, N.L.H. Krauss (BPBM).

Comments. 'This species is newly recorded from Solomon Islands. It belongs

in the zeylanica group. The above male shows slight differences in the wing

pattern from the holotype female from northern Queensland (Permkam and

Hancock 1995) but, at least until further material becomes available, they are

regarded as conspecific.

Euphranta notabilis (van der Wulp), comb. n.

Material examined. INDIA: 1 9, Pirmed, 3400 ft, Travancore, 4-6.v.1937, BM-CM

Expedn to South India, April-May 1937 (BMNH).

Comments. Euphranta canangae Hardy, 1955, is placed as a new synonym of

E. notabilis (van der Wulp, 1880). Originally described in Ptilona van der

Wulp, E. notabilis was included in Acanthonevra Macquart by Hardy (1986).

It has the three anepisternal setae (one medial and two posterior) typical of

the zeylanica group. Known previously from the Philippines, West Malaysia,

Sumatra and Java, it is newly recorded from India.

158 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Euphranta rudis (Walker)

Material examined. MALAYSIA: Lectotype 9, Sarawak, Borneo, W.W. Saunders,

BM 1868-4; 1 9, Pahang, Cameron Highlands, Ginling Kial, 5000 ft, 24.v.1939, H.M.

Pendlebury (both BMNH).

Comments. Euphranta balteata Hardy, 1981, is placed as a new synonym of

E. rudis (Walker, 1856). Although Hardy (1983) regarded E. rudis as a

nomen dubium, its known characters (Hardy 1959), plus the above specimen

from Pahang, clearly ally it with E. balteata, also described from East

Malaysia (Hardy 1981). It belongs in the /inocierae group and is known from

both West and East Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah) and Brunei Darussalam

(Chua 2002).

Euphranta sabahensis sp. n.

(Fig. 4)

Type. Holotype 9, EAST MALAYSIA: North Borneo [Sabah], (SE), Forest Camp, 19

km N of Kalabakan, 17.xi.1962, K.J. Kuncheria (BPBM).

Description. Female. Length of body (excluding oviscape), 4.6 mm; of wing,

4.2 mm. Head as for E. betikamae except face fulvous, frons fulvous

laterally, broadly red-brown medially, antennae red-brown and occiput red-

brown behind eyes; 3 pairs of frontal setae, the upper pair not close to orbital

setae but closer to them than to middle pair of frontals.

Thorax red-brown, tending fulvous posteromedially on scutum; postpronotal

lobe fulvous. Scutellum yellow with a broad brown basal band. With a full

complement of thoracic setae except presuturals; prescutellar acrostichals

present; dorsocentrals placed a little behind line of supra-alars; 2

anepisternals, the lower weak; 4 scutellars. Haltere dark fulvous. Legs dark

fulvous with tibiae tending brownish; middle tibia with an apical black spine.

Wing (Fig. 4) with brown markings as follows: a narrow transverse band

from apex of cell c and basal half of pterostigma to base of cell cu, united

above vein R4,5 below middle of pterostigma with an oblique band from

apical half of pterostigma across R-M crossvein and cell dm to wing margin,

broadened anteriorly and leaving apex of cell cu; hyaline; this band separated

from a large brown subapical area by a narrow hyaline band crossing wing

from costa at apex of pterostigma to apex of cell cu»; this subapical brown

area interrupted by two small hyaline marginal spots in cell r; at middle and

apex and a narrow triangular hyaline indentation across cells m and 14,5 from

hind margin of wing to vein R45, the latter resulting in a narrow brown band

across DM-Cu crossvein; posterior tip of cell r;.; and entire apex of cell r4+5

narrowly hyaline. Pterostigma blackish-brown except extreme apex hyaline.

Veins R, and basal half of R45 setose; R-M crossvein a little beyond middle

of cell dm and beyond apex of pterostigma; cell bcu apically acute.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 159

Abdomen elongate, red brown, tending fuscous laterally. Tergite VI about 0.7

times length of tergite V. Oviscape red-brown, about as long as terga IV and

V combined.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the Malaysian province of Sabah.

Distribution. Known only from Sabah, East Malaysia.

Comments. This species belongs in the camelliae group, the anteriorly

broadened medial brown band on the wing placing it close to E. hainanensis

(Zia) from Hainan, China. It differs from E. hainanensis in the broader, less

parallel-sided hyaline band across the wing between the medial and subapical

brown areas and shorter, more triangular indentation in cells m and r4+5.

Euphranta solitaria Hardy

Material examined. SOLOMON ISLANDS: 1 CO, New Georgia group,

Kolombangara, Gollifer's Camp, 700 m, 23.1.1964, P. Shanahan, malaise trap

(BPBM).

Comments. This species belongs in the /inocierae group and is newly

recorded from Solomon Islands. The above specimen differs from the

holotype from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (Hardy 1983) in having the

wing with a slightly larger hyaline apex and more extensive brown areas

basoposteriorly. Further material may show that two species are involved.

Euphranta variabilis (Kerétsz)

Material examined. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 1 0’, Western Province, Oriomo Govt.

Station, 26-28.x.1960, J.L. Gressitt (BPBM).

Comments. This species belongs in the basalis group and appears to be

widespread in New Guinea and northern Queensland.

Euphranta zeylanica (Senior-White)

Material examined. SRI LANKA: Holotype 9, Suduganga, 30.iii.1919, R. Senior-

White, on scrub, BM 1924-100 (BMNH).

Comments. Euphranta conjuncta Hendel, 1928, is placed as a new synonym

of E. zeylanica (Senior-White, 1921). The wing pattern and elongate oviscape

are distinctive (Hendel 1928, Senior-White 1921) and the anepisternum has

three setae (one medial and two posterior). It belongs in the zeylanica group

and is known only from Sri Lanka.

Species groups

The 102 described species of Euphranta are placed in the following 20

groups. Species preceded by an asterisk occur in the Australian Region

(Australia, eastern Indonesia [Maluku and West Papua], Papua New Guinea,

Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Fiji).

160 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

connexa group

Wing with apical area largely brown, with no apical hyaline spot but a large

indentation in cell m; thorax fulvous, usually with 2 broad dark vittae or 4

patches; anepisternum fulvous with a black longitudinal stripe; 2 or 3 frontal

setae; acrostichal setae absent except in palawanica; R-M crossvein well

beyond apex of pterostigma; oviscape moderately to very long; aculeus

apically rounded and serrate. Known host plants Asclepiadaceae; a record of

Curcurbitaceae for E. skinneri (Hardy 1955) is likely to be a host

misidentification. Europe to Japan and Philippines to West Papua, Indonesia.

Seven species: E. connexa (Fabricius, 1794); E. flavorufa Hering, 1936; F.

longicauda Shiraki, 1952; E. palawanica Hardy, 1974; E. skinneri Hardy,

1955; E. maxima Hering, 1941; *E. quadrimaculata Hardy, 1983.

chrysopila group

Wing with a brown apical patch with no hyaline apical spot, a narrow

subapical brown band across DM-Cu crossvein (except in figurata) and often

with yellow areas; thorax black with yellow-white prescutellar spot or

fulvous with black vittae; anepisternum yellow-white on upper or posterior

parts; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present or absent; R-M crossvein

below apex of pterostigma; oviscape short. Known host plants Moraceae and

Verbenaceae. Taiwan and Malaysia to Australia.

Seven species: E. chrysopila Hendel, 1913; E. figurata (Walker, 1856); E.

unifasciata Hardy, 1981; E. maculifrons (de Meijere, 1914); *E. quatei

Hardy, 1983; *E. tricolor Hardy, 1983; *E. numeralis Permkam & Hancock,

1995.

macularis group

Wing with a narrow costal/subapical band separated from pterostigma

(vestigial in /acteata) and a large discal patch across DM-Cu crossvein;

pterostigma short (about one third length of cell c); thorax brown to black;

anepisternum fuscous; normally 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae absent

except in furcifer; R-M crossvein well beyond apex of pterostigma; abdomen

black, narrow and elongate; aculeus short and broad, with large and small

preapical dentations; spermathecae oval. Host plants unknown. India to

Philippines and Indonesia (Maluku).

Three species: E. macularis (Wiedemann, 1830) [7 striatella van der Wulp,

1891; = nigra Enderlein, 1911; = nigra Zia, 1965]; E. lacteata (van der

Wulp, 1891); *E. furcifer (Walker, 1861).

ocellata group

Wing with a narrow costal/subapical band not separated from pterostigma

and with or without a large discal patch across DM-Cu crossvein; pterostigma

elongate (about equal in length to cell c); thorax brown to black;

anepisternum fuscous; 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae absent; R-M

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) n

crossvein below apex of pterostigma; aculeus short and broad, with a

preapical dentation; spermathecae oval. Host plants unknown. Philippines.

Two species: E. ocellata Hardy, 1974; E. stenopeza Hardy, 1974.

signatifacies group

Wing usually with a curved hyaline band from cell r; at apex of pterostigma

to apex of cell dm and a transverse hyaline band in cell r;,5, extending into

cell r5 in marina and cell m in transiens; thorax red-brown to black with

yellow postsutural vittae and large prescutellar spot; anepisternum with upper

part usually yellow; 2 or 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae absent; R-M

crossvein below apex of pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus sharply pointed

without preapical dentations; spermathecae sausage shaped, with expanded

ducts. Known host plants are mangroves (Verbenaceae). Southern Thailand

to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Three species: E. signatifacies Hardy, 1981; *E. transiens (Walker, 1860);

“E. marina Permkam & Hancock, 1995.

zeylanica group

Wing with a hyaline apical spot and extensive brown discal areas; thorax red-

brown; anepisternum without yellow areas; 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae

present; 3 anepisternal setae (1 medial and 2 posterior); R-M crossvein well

beyond apex of pterostigma; oviscape long; aculeus elongate, smooth and

sharply tapered or with 1 pair of weak preapical dentations; spermathecae

thread-like, long and slender. Known host plants Annonaceae. Sri Lanka and

India to Philippines, Australia, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.

Seven species: E. zeylanica (Senior-White, 1921) [= conjuncta Hendel,

1928]; E. notabilis (van der Wulp, 1880) [= canangae Hardy, 1955]; E.

laosica Hardy, 1973; E. notata Hardy, 1974; E. tanyoura Hardy, 1981; “E.

meringae Permkam & Hancock, 1995; +E. leichhardtiae Permkam &

Hancock, 1995.

toxoneura group

Wing usually with brown band through R-M crossvein directed towards

medial part of cell r; or broken with an isolated spot in cells ri-ra+3,

sometimes with pattern modified; subapical part of pterostigma and tip of cell

ri often hyaline and with a hyaline apical spot; thorax fulvous with 2 or 4

dark vittae or black; anepisternum fulvous or black, with or without narrow

yellow band along upper margin; 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present

except in convergens; R-M crossvein below to a little beyond apex of

pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus with 2 pairs of preapical dentations;

spermathecae sausage shaped. Known hosts are fruit of Saxifragaceae,

Staphyleaceae and Rosaceae, flowerheads of Paeoniaceae or sawfly galls on

Salicaceae. North America, Europe to Japan, India and Thailand, Borneo and

Indonesia to Papua New Guinea.

162 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Sixteen species: E. canadensis (Loew, 1873); E. mexicana Norrbom, 1993; £.

toxoneura (Loew, 1846); E. ortalidina (Portschinsky, 1892); E. japonica (Ito,

1947); E. transmontana (Ito, 1984); E. jucunda Hendel, 1915; E. licenti Zia,

1938; E. nigrescens (Zia, 1937); E. convergens Hardy, 1974; E. nigripeda

(Bezzi, 1913); E. maculifacies Hardy, 1973; E. turpiniae Hancock & Drew,

1994; E. maculipennis Hardy, 1983; E. incompleta Hardy, 1983; *E.

sedlaceki Hardy, 1983.

mikado group

Wing with a hyaline apical spot, brown band through R-M crossvein directed

towards apex of pterostigma and pterostigma often pale medially; thorax

fulvous to fuscous; anepisternum with or without a whitish band along upper

margin, connected to postpronotal lobe; 3 frontal setae (2 in perkinsi);

acrostichal setae present; R-M crossvein below apex of pterostigma; oviscape

short; aculeus with 2 pairs of preapical dentations; spermathecae oval with

expanded ducts. Known host plants Celastraceae and Rubiaceae. Eastern

Russia and Japan to Burma, Borneo to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Seven species: E. mikado (Matsumura, 1916); E. oshimensis Shiraki, 1933; £E.

nigrocingulata (Hering, 1938); E. borneana Hardy, 1983; “E. perkinsi

Hardy, 1983; *E. ternaria Permkam & Hancock, 1995; *E. mulgravea

Permkam & Hancock, 1995.

lemniscata group

Wing with a hyaline apical spot and a distinct V-shaped hyaline band from

costa, interrupted in cells ritr3 by an isolated dark band, but without a

hyaline indentation in the dark area in cell cu»; thorax red-brown, usually

with 4 narrow or 2 broad black vittae, or black with yellow postsutural and

medial vittae; anepisternum broadly yellow-white dorsally, connected

narrowly with postpronotal lobe; 3 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-

M crossvein below apex of pterostigma; oviscape long; aculeus slender with

subapical lobes and 3-4 pairs of preapical dentations. Known host plants

Convolvulaceae. Taiwan to India, Australia, Fiji and New Caledonia.

Three species: E. atrata Hardy, 1974; *E. lemniscata (Enderlein, 1911) [7

rivulosa Bezzi, 1928]; *E. lemniscoides Hancock & Drew, 2003.

camelliae group

Wing with brown band from pterostigma through R-M crossvein oblique,

leaving apex of pterostigma hyaline; apex of cell r; often with a small hyaline

spot; hyaline apical spot of wing narrow; thorax brown to black with yellow

prescutellar spot; anepisternum fuscous or with hind margin yellow; 3 frontal

setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M crossvein just beyond apex of

pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus with 3 pairs of preapical dentations.

Known host plants Meliaceae, Theaceae and Fagaceae. Japan and Korea to

Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 163

Seven species: E. camelliae (Ito, 1949); E. separata (Ito, 1949); E. sexsignata

Hendel, 1915; E. corticicola (Hering, 1952); E. hainanensis (Zia, 1955); E.

sabahensis sp. n.; E. ferenigra Hardy, 1970.

crux group

Wing with a distinct dark band from pterostigma across R-M crossvein and a

large hyaline apical spot; thorax fulvous to fuscous, often with a yellow

prescutellar spot; anepisternum red-brown to black or with fore and hind

margins yellow; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M crossvein

below apex of pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus without preapical

dentations but with a pair of subapical projections. Host plants unknown.

India to Australia and Solomon Islands.

Seven species: E. crux (Fabricius, 1794); E. dissoluta (Bezzi, 1913); E.

burtoni Hardy, 1973; *E. bischofi (Kertész, 1901); *E. moluccensis Hardy,

1983; *E. minor Hendel, 1928; “E. isabellae sp. n..

apicalis group

Wing with a large hyaline apical spot, an isolated brown basal band from

pterostigma and band through R-M crossvein directed towards middle of cell

ri, sometimes interrupted; apex of pterostigma yellow; thorax black with

fulvous medial and dorsolateral vittae; anepisternum black; 2 frontal setae;

acrostichal setae present except in naevifrons; R-M crossvein well beyond

apex of pterostigma; abdomen fuscous; oviscape short; aculeus short and

bluntly pointed, without preapical dentations; spermathecae club shaped.

Known host stems of Orobanchaceae. China to Burma, Philippines and

Indonesia.

Four species: E. scutellaris (Chen, 1948); E. suspiciosa (Hering, 1938); E.

apicalis Hendel, 1915; E. naevifrons Hering, 1941.

cassiae group

Wing with a hyaline apical spot; thorax black with a yellow-white

prescutellar spot; anepisternum with a large dorsal yellow-white triangular

spot; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M crossvein below apex of

pterostigma; oviscape short. Host plants Leguminosae, Solanaceae and

Oleaceae. India and Thailand.

Three species: E. cassiae (Munro, 1938); E. solaniferae Hancock & Drew,

1994; E. myxopyrae Hancock & Drew, 1994.

maculifemur group

Wing with a short brown band from pterostigma, a broad preapical brown

band and a large hyaline apical spot, the basal and preapical bands divergent;

thorax black with a yellow-white presutural spot, darkened medially;

postpronotal lobes black; anepisternum black; scutellum with large triangular

basal black band; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present (sometimes weak;

absent in type of flavizona); R-M crossvein below middle of pterostigma;

164 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

abdominal tergite III fulvous, remainder black; oviscape short. Host plant

unknown. Malaysia and Indonesia.

One species: E. maculifemur (de Meijere, 1924) [= ormei Hardy, 1973; =

flavizona Hardy, 1983].

linocierae group

Wing with a relatively large hyaline apical spot and a broad preapical brown

area; thorax fuscous with a large yellow-white prescutellar spot;

anepisternum with yellow-white posterodorsal spot; fore basitarsus flattened

in males except in hardyi; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M

crossvein below apex of pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus tapering to a

sharp point and with 1 pair of preapical dentations; spermathecae sausage

shaped, with expanded ducts. Known host plants Oleaceae. Thailand and

Philippines to Australia and New Caledonia.

Six species: E. songkhla Hancock & Drew, 1994 [7 maculifemur of Hardy,

not de Meijere]; E. rudis (Walker, 1856) [= balteata Hardy, 1981]; “E.

brunneifemur Hardy, 1983; *E. linocierae Hardy, 1951; *E. solitaria Hardy,

1983; *E. hardyi Norrbom & Hancock, 2004.

nigroapicalis group

Wing with a relatively small hyaline apical spot and a broad preapical brown

area; thorax fuscous with a large yellow-white prescutellar spot;

anepisternum entirely dark; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M

crossvein below apex of pterostigma; oviscape short; aculeus with 2 pairs of

preapical dentations; spermathecae ribbon-like, with expanded ducts. Known

host plant Xanthophyllaceae. Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Two species: *E. nigroapicalis Hardy, 1983; “E. athertonia Permkam &

Hancock, 1995.

basalis group

Wing with a short brown band from pterostigma, a broad preapical brown

band and a moderate to large hyaline apical spot; thorax fulvous, often with

narrow dorsolateral black vittae, to fuscous, with or without a yellow

prescutellar area; anepisternum without distinct yellow areas; normally 2

frontal setae; acrostichal setae absent; R-M crossvein before or below apex of

pterostigma; fore femora often with a brown subapical spot; oviscape short;

aculeus with 1 pair of preapical dentations; spermathecae club-shaped. Host

plants unknown. Philippines and Brunei to Australia and Solomon Islands.

Eight species: E. flavoscutellata Hardy, 1970; E. belalongensis Chua, 2000;

*E. latifasciata Hardy, 1983; *E. basalis (Walker, 1865); *E. pallida Hardy,

1983; *E. simonthomasi Hardy, 1983; *E. variabilis (Kertész, 1901); *E.

bimaculata (Malloch, 1939).

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 165

bilineata group

Wing with brown pterostigma, a broad preapical brown band enclosing both

R-M and DM-Cu crossveins and a small hyaline apical spot; thorax fulvous

with narrow black vittae; anepisternum fulvous; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal

and postpronotal setae absent; R-M crossvein well beyond apex of

pterostigma, near apex of cell dm; abdomen rufous; oviscape short. Host

plant unknown. Papua New Guinea.

One species: *E. bilineata Hardy, 1983.

scutellata group

Wing often largely fuscous, with or without a hyaline band or indentation

beyond apex of pterostigma; hyaline apical spot often reduced; thorax black

with a large yellow-white prescutellar spot; anepisternum black or with a

grey or yellow posterior band; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae absent; R-M

crossvein below apex of pterostigma; fore femora with a brown subapical

spot; oviscape short; aculeus with 1 large and 2 small pairs of preapical

dentations; spermathecae sausage shaped, with expanded ducts. Known host

plants Apocynaceae. Southern Thailand to Solomon Islands.

Six species: E. cerberae Hancock & Drew, 1995; *E. ochrosiae Hancock &

Drew, 2003; *E. vitabilis Hardy, 1970; *E. fuscata sp. n.; *E. betikamae sp.

n.; *E. scutellata Malloch, 1939.

mediofusca group

Wing with costal margin largely hyaline and a broad brown discal area or

with a brown costal band, narrow band over R-M crossvein and large patch

over DM-Cu crossvein; thorax mostly red-brown or fuscous with an

indistinct yellow prescutellar area; anepisternum with or without a yellow

dorsal patch; 2 frontal setae; acrostichal setae present; R-M crossvein below

apex of pterostigma; fore femora with a brown subapical spot; oviscape short.

Host plants Verbenaceae and Loganiaceae. Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Two species: *E. mediofusca (Hering, 1941); *E. marginata Hardy, 1983.

Host plants

Host plant records are available for 34 Euphranta species (Table 1), derived

largely from Shiraki (1933), Hardy (1955, 1983), Korneyev (1990), Norrbom

(1993), Merz (1994), Hancock and Drew (1994, 1995, 2003) and Permkam

and Hancock (1995). Most species are fruit or pod infesters but E. apicalis

breeds in stems of Aeginetia indica (Orobanchaceae) (Shiraki 1933), E.

ortalidina breeds in flowerheads of Paeonia sp. (Paeoniaceae) (Korneyev

1990) and E. toxoneura is a brood parasite in larval galls of Pontania spp.

(Hymenoptera) on Salix sp. (Salicaceae) (Kopelke 1984). E. chrysopila has

been collected on, but not yet reared from, stems of Bambusa (Poaceae:

bamboo) in Taiwan (Shiraki 1933). The record of “Cucurbitaceae” as a host

for E. skinneri in the Philippines (Hardy 1955, 1974) is almost certainly a

166

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

misidentification of Asclepiadaceae, the pods of which are often confused

with cucurbits. A record of a single specimen of £. corticicola bred from fruit

of Turpinia pomifera (Staphyleaceae) (Hancock and Drew 1994) is likely to

be a sampling error.

Table 1. Recorded host plants of Euphranta spp.

Euphranta sp.

E. connexa

E. flavorufa

E. longicauda

E. skinneri

E. numeralis

E. quatei

E. marina

E. signatifacies

E. notabilis

E. leichhardtiae

E. canadensis

E. mexicana

E. toxoneura

E. japonica

E. ortalidina

E. turpiniae

E. oshimensis

E. perkinsi

E. lemniscata

E. lemniscoides

E. camelliae

E. corticicola

E. apicalis

E. cassiae

E. solaniferae

E. myxopyrae

E. linocierae

E. songkhla

E. nigroapicalis

E. cerberae

E. ochrosiae

E. scutellata

E. mediofusca

E. marginata

Host plants

Asclepiadaceae - Vincetoxicum hirundinaria fruit

Asclepiadaceae - Metaplexis japonica fruit

Asclepiadaceae - Marsdenia tomentosa fruit

“Cucurbitaceae” - ? misident. Asclepiadaceae

Moraceae - Maclura cochinchinensis fruit (1 specimen)

Verbenaceae - Gmelina moluccana fruit

Verbenaceae - Avicennia marina fruit

Verbenaceae - Avicennia officinalis fruit

Rhizophoraceae - Rhizophora mucronata fruit (1 record)

Annonaceae - Cananga odorata fruit

Annonaceae - Rauwenhoffia leichhardtii fruit

Saxifragaceae - Ribes spp. fruit

Saxifragaceae - Ribes pringlei fruit

Pontania spp. sawfly larvae in galls on Salix (Salicaceae)

Rosaceae - Prunus avium fruit

Paeoniaceae - Paeonia sp. flowerhead

Staphyleaceae - Turpinia pomifera fruit

Celastraceae - Euonymus maackii fruit

Rubiaceae - Morinda bracteata fruit

Convolvulaceae - Stictocardia tiliifolia fruit

Convolvulaceae - Merremia peltata fruit

Theaceae - Camellia japonica seed

Fagaceae - Castanea crenata seed

Meliaceae - Dysoxylum binectariferum fruit

Orobanchaceae - Aeginetia indica stems

Leguminosae - Cassia fistula pods

Solanaceae - Solanum trilobatum fruit (1 record)

Oleaceae - Myxopyrum smilacifolium fruit

Oleaceae - Chionanthus ramiflorus seed

Oleaceae - Chionanthus ramiflorus fruit or seed

Xanthophyllaceae - Xanthophyllum sp. fruit ?

Apocynaceae - Cerbera odollam fruit

Apocynaceae - Ochrosia marginata fruit

Apocynaceae - Cerbera manghas fruit

Verbenaceae - Faradaya splendida fruit

Loganiaceae - Neuburgia corynocarpa fruit

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 167

Discussion

From an analysis of the above species groups it is evident that the presence or

absence of prescutellar acrostichal or katepisternal setae cannot be used to

define subgenera within Euphranta. In some cases the variation is

intraspecific. The relative lengths of the pterostigma and aristal plumosity,

number of frontal setae, position of R-M crossvein and presence or absence

of distinct fore femoral setae or a hyaline apex to wing cell r4,5 are also

subject to intergradation and are similarly inapplicable at subgeneric level.

Consequently, the names Rhacochlaena Loew, Epochra Loew, Macrotrypeta

Portschinsky, Lagarosia van der Wulp, Staurella Bezzi, Xanthotrypeta

Malloch and Paraeuphranta Hardy are all regarded as synonyms of

Euphranta, with no subgenera recognisable. However, further study may

show that the macularis group, with its very short pterostigma and narrow,

elongate abdomen, may be separable at the generic or subgeneric level, for

which the name Lagarosia (= Paraeuphranta) is available.

An additional, undescribed species, close to E. chrysopila but with more

extensively marked wings, is known from Sri Lanka (1 female, Alntoya,

22.iv.[18]91, Lt Col. Yerbury, 1892-192, in BMNH).

Acknowledgements

Dick Tsuda (UH) and Keith Arakaki (BPBM) forwarded specimens for study,

including those held by their institutions as loans from other collections, viz.

ANIC, CAS and Ismay Collection. Nigel Wyatt (BMNH) facilitated access to

specimens in his care and Bernhard Merz sent one specimen from MHNG.

Bert Orr prepared the illustrations. All this assistance is gratefully

acknowledged.

References

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Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 169-176 169

A NEW SUBSPECIES AND A REVISED STATUS IN THERETRA

HUBNER (LEPIDOPTERA: SPHINGIDAE) FROM VANUATU AND

NEW CALEDONIA

R.B. LACHLAN

Entomology Department, Australian Museum, 6 College St, Sydney, NSW 2010

Abstract

Theretra insularis ambrymensis subsp. n. is described and illustrated from Vanuatu. Theretra

lifuensis Rothschild, 1894, stat. rev. is returned to specific rank from synonomy with Theretra

clotho celata (Butler, 1877).

Introduction

Three species of Theretra Hübner have been recorded from Vanuatu. T.

clotho celata (Butler) is found from northeastern Australia and throughout

New Guinea to Vanuatu and Lifu (= Lifou) in the Loyalty Islands, New

Caledonia. T. silhetensis intersecta (Butler) is recorded from Sulawesi, the

Moluccas, New Guinea and Australia eastwards to the Solomon Islands,

Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa (D'Abrera 1987, Robinson 1975,

Schmit 2002). T. nessus (Drury) is recorded from the Solomon Islands, New

Caledonia and Vanuatu (Schmit 2002). A fourth species, T. aquila Lachlan &

Moulds, was described from the northern island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu

but subsequently synonymized by Kitching and Cadiou (2000) as a melanic

form of T. s. intersecta.

In December 1988 and January and September 1989, a series of eight males

and twelve females of a species similar to T. insularis lenis Jordan from the

Solomon Islands (Tennent 1999), was collected from Ambrym, a

northeastern island of Vanuatu. Further assessment of these specimens has

indicated clear differences from the above subspecies in several characters,

including markings, colour tones and genitalia and they were found to

represent an undescribed subspecies of T. insularis (Swinhoe).

T. lifuensis from Lifou Island, New Caledonia, was described as a distinct

species by Rothschild (1894) but synonymized by Rothschild and Jordan

(1903). The recent collection and evaluation of ten males and two females

from Lifou (= Lifu) indicates they are a distinct species and should be

removed from synonymy with T. clotho celata.

Theretra insularis ambrymensis subsp. n.

(Figs 1-3, 7)

Types. Holotype 0&', VANUATU: Olal Catholic Mission area, north Ambrym Is.,

19.ix.1989, R.B. Lachlan (in Australian National Insect Collection [ANIC], CSIRO,

Canberra). Paratypes: 7 O'0", 10 99, Olal Catholic Mission area, north Ambrym Is,

25.xii.1988, 9,12.1.1989 & 19-22,24,28.ix.1989, R.B. Lachlan; 2 99, Sesivi Catholic

Mission, south-west Ambrym Is., 29.ix.1989, R.B. Lachlan (in ANIC, The Natural

History Museum, London, Australian Museum, Sydney and RBL collection).

170 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Description. Male (Figs 1-2). Forewing length 41-45.7 mm (n — 8). Antenna

pink above, brown below; dorsal surface of head light olive green; small dark

median spot on prothorax. Thorax light olive green with four light orange

brown stripes, the median pair curving laterally at posterior end of thorax;

thin lateral creamy-brown stripe from above palpi, along base of antenna to

posterior of thorax; thorax ventrally creamy-brown, tending light orange

brown laterally. Abdomen above uniform light olive brown suffused with

paler scales; faint olive lateral basal patch on most specimens, absent in

some, dark olive scales scattered unevenly; abdomen below pale like thorax

but more heavily suffused with black scales. Fore tibia covered in creamy

pink hair scales; outer edges of fore tarsi, mid and hind tibiae and tarsi

distinctly white.

Forewing upperside as in Fig. 1; termen only slightly convex, ground colour

yellowish-green with olive transverse oblique line from apex to near centre of

inner margin, this line slightly disjointed at vein Rs in most specimens; three

more parallel but not so distinct olive transverse oblique lines generally from

around vein 1A+2A to vein Rs, basad of distinct line; inner pair are

obsolescent and close together; small, nearly straight faint olive subbasal line

from inner margin to costa, bending basally near costa; basal region slightly

darker yellowish-green; subtornal and subterminal areas distad of distinct

olive oblique line darker, tending lighter in tornal and terminal areas, these

areas all lightly speckled with dark olive scales; small, faint dark olive discal

spot in some specimens, absent in most. Forewing underside as in Fig. 2;

ground colour light orange brown from base to irregular faint, dark olive

subterminal line visible from apex to tornus; darker distad of this line; few

markings basad, remainder speckled with black scales and small olive

blotches.

Hindwing upperside as in Fig. 1; costal region cream; basal one third of wing,

black with lighter streaks along veins; faint yellowish-green terminal band

speckled with dark olive scales from apex to tornus, at least 4 mm wide at

apex tending darker, and narrow at tornus; inner edge of this band appears

straight. Hindwing underside as in Fig. 2; similar to forewing but slightly

more blotched and speckled except for space 1A being plain creamy-brown.

Male genitalia (Fig. 7). Uncus in lateral view not long, dorsal and ventral

surfaces gently curved, narrower at distal end with short downward directed

hairs on ventral surface, heavy covering of backward directed hairs on lateral

and dorsal surface; gnathos in lateral view short, thick, slightly upturned

distally, black and serrate on dorsal surface of apex, evenly curved on ventral

surface to apex; aedeagus in lateral view largely cylindrical, slightly enlarged

distally, distal margin of apex rounded from dorsal surface then slanted

basally towards ventral surface, small, narrow elongated row of black barbs

in cleft on right lateral side near apex; valva twice as long as wide, almost

parallel sided, ventral surface slightly concave, dorsal surface straightish,

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 171

distally rounded; sacculus process short, rectangular, dorsal and distal edges

usually with some very small serrations, ventral margin of sacculus clearly

convex.

Female (Fig. 3). Forewing length 47.5-52 mm (n = 12). Forewing termen

more convex than in males, particularly evident between veins Rs and M3.

Upperside and underside similar to males in colouration and within the same

range of variability. Forewing discal spot usually not present.

Female genitalia. Apophyses posteriores long, very slender, cylindrical, very

minutely enlarged subapically; apophyses anteriores half the length of

apophyses posteriores, cylindrical, slender; signum long, narrow, extending

from middle to base of corpus bursae, consisting of a pair of closely parallel

lines of cornuti, appearing as small flattened spikes, set in rows of three or

four, closely packed together.

Etymology. The subspecific name ambrymensis is derived from the island in

Vanuatu where the specimens were collected.

Distribution. A single specimen collected on Tongoa Island in August, 1934

is in The Natural History Museum, London (Ian Kitching, pers. comm.). All

other known specimens were collected in December 1988, January 1989 and

September 1989 on the island of Ambrym, Vanuatu. The two islands are

about 65 km apart.

Discussion

Theretra insularis ambrymensis is similar to T. insularis lenis, the subspecies

occurring in the Solomon Islands, which Tennent (1999) recorded as far east

as San Cristobal but not from the far eastern Santa Cruz islands north of

Vanuatu, despite recording seven other species of sphingids from these

islands. There is a distance of over 800 km between these two subspecies.

Both sexes of T. i. ambrymensis are distinctly larger than in the other four

subspecies of T. insularis, particularly in T. i. lenis which is the smallest but

also the closest geographically to T. i. ambrymensis. Forewing lengths of

male T. i. ambrymensis range from 41-45.7 mm (n = 8); forewing lengths of

male T. i. lenis range from 37-39 mm (n = 12). The forewing discal spot is

missing, or barely discernible in the majority of T. i. ambrymensis specimens

but is very prominent in the western populations of T. insularis, although in

T. i. lenis it varies between prominent to barely visible but is usually present.

The four oblique lines on the forewing of all subspecies of T. insularis are

more prominent in the western populations but in T. i. ambrymensis the inner

pair are clearly obsolescent by comparison. Also, the wings of T. i.

ambrymensis have a distinct yellowish-green appearance; they are darker in

T. i. lenis. The small subbasal line and slightly darker basal area of the

forewing on 7. i. ambrymensis is almost identical to that seen on T. clotho

celata but is not present on any of the T. insularis subspecies examined.

172 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Figs 1-3. Theretra insularis ambrymensis. (1-2) holotype male: (1) upperside; (2)

underside. (3) paratype female, upperside.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 173

Figs 4-6. Theretra lifuensis. (4-5) male: (4) upperside; (5) underside. (6) female,

upperside.

174 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Figs 7-10. Male genitalia of Theretra spp. All genitalia in situ but with left valva

removed, lateral view. (7) T. insularis ambrymensis paratype, Ambrym I., Vanuatu;

(8) T. insularis insularis, Tabubil, Papua New Guinea; (9) T. lifuensis, Lifou I.,

Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia; (10) T. clotho celata, Lizard I., Queensland.

On the hindwing of T. i. ambrymensis the black is restricted to the basal area

only. This black region is more expansive on all other subspecies, particularly

the western populations such as T. i. insularis, where the hindwing is almost

completely black. The faint yellowish-green speckled terminal band running

from the apex to the tornus has a nearly straight inner edge. This is not seen

in the other T. insularis subspecies, although T. i. lenis shows some affinity

in this character. The lateral basal abdominal patch is barely visible or absent

in T. i. ambrymensis, whereas it tends to be generally more obvious in T. i.

lenis and certainly in the western subspecies T. i. insularis.

As no specimens of T. i. lenis were available for dissection, several males of

T. i. insularis (Fig. 8) from Papua New Guinea were dissected and their

genitalia compared with those of 7. i. ambrymensis. A number of differences

were noted. In lateral view, the valva of T. i. ambrymensis is ovate with a

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 175

straight dorsal margin. In T. i. insularis the dorsal and ventral margins are

clearly angled upwards, the distal margin is more pointed and the central

section of the dorsal margin is convex. Also, the sacculus ventral margin is

clearly convex in T. i. ambrymensis but almost straight in T. i. insularis. The

uncus and gnathos, in lateral view, are thicker and the ventral margin of the

gnathos is more indented in T. i. ambrymensis. The narrow cleft of spines on

the right lateral side of the aedeagus is much shorter than that seen in T. i.

insularis.

It appears that any records of T. clotho celata from Vanuatu have been

misidentifications of T. i. ambrymensis.

Theretra lifuensis Rothschild, 1894, stat. rev.

(Figs 4-6, 9)

Theretra lifuensis was first described as a distinct species by Rothschild

(1894) from an unstated number of specimens collected on Lifu (7 Lifou)

Island, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. It was later synonymised by

Rothschild and Jordan (1903) with Theretra clotho celata without comment

(Ian Kitching, pers. comm.). Reassessment of ten males and two females

collected on Lifou Island in December 2003 clearly show that this species

should be removed from synonymy with T. clotho celata and reinstated as a

distinct species. A specimen illustrated by Schmit (2002), taken on the main

island (Grande Terre) of New Caledonia, approximates the specimens taken

on Lifou in December 2003, except that the black basal area on the hindwing

upperside is more expansive. This is probably due to the isolation of the

different populations, so it may be assumed that it is also T. /ifuensis and not

T. clotho celata as indicated in the paper of Schmit (2002). Therefore, T.

clotho celata has yet to be recorded from New Caledonia.

T. lifuensis is a smaller species than T. clotho celata with forewing lengths

ranging from 33.8-37.3 mm (n = 9) in males and 40.1 mm in females. In T.

clotho celata, forewing lengths range from 35-42 mm (n = 34) in males and

41.5-48.9 mm (n = 25) in females. The forewing of both sexes of T.

lifuensisis is less elongated than in T. clotho celata, the termen is more

convex between veins M, and M; and has the stigma clearly evident in all

specimens examined, unlike 7. clotho celata. There is an obvious, distally

scalloped olive band adjacent to and distad of the dark olive transverse

oblique line in T. lifuensis, only vaguely seen in some specimens of T. clotho

celata. On the hindwing of T. lifuensis there is a wide pinkish-brown terminal

band, more pinkish in females. In T. clotho celata this band is yellow-brown.

On the abdomen of T. lifuensis the single black basal lateral spot on each side

is generally very prominent when compared in series to T. clotho celata.

The male genitalia of T. /ifuensis (Fig. 9) differ from those of T. clotho celata

(Fig. 10) in lateral view, having an ovate valva with the distal margin

rounded. This margin is more pointed and the valva more elongate in T.

176 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

clotho celata. The sacculus is wider and the sacculus process is blade-like

with slightly irregular dorsal and distal margins in T. clotho celata. In T.

lifuensis the sacculus process is smaller with a distinctive three-pointed distal

apex. In lateral view, the uncus of T. lifuensis is the same shape but narrower

with a clear convex bulge on the dorsal margin immediately behind the

uncus. Half way along the uncus, in dorsal view, the lateral margins are

concave; in T. clotho celata they are straight, leading to the apex of the

uncus. In lateral view the gnathos of T. lifuensis is narrower and its posterior

ventral surface is less concave than seen in T. clotho celata.

When viewed in series, the differences between T. lifuensis and T. clotho

celata are very clear.

Acknowledgements :

I sincerely thank the late Father Albert Sacco for inviting me to stay at his

Catholic Mission at Olal, northern Ambrym, on two occasions. We spent

many happy hours at the light trap next to the church. For comments on the

manuscript I sincerely thank Dr Max Moulds (Australian Museum, Sydney).

I am particularly grateful to Dr Ian Kitching (The Natural History Museum,

London) for all his advice and comments on various species of Theretra in

the NHM collection and for organising photographs by Deborah-Jayne

Cassey and Geoff Martin of various specimens in the collection. I also thank

Jeff Wright and Geoff Thompson (Queensland Museum) for preparing the

photographs and genitalia illustrations respectively for this paper. My wife

Deborah Lachlan typed the manuscript.

References

D'ABRERA, B. [1987]. Sphingidae Mundi. Hawk moths of the world. E.W. Classey, Faringdon;

ix + 226 pp.

KITCHING, LJ. and CADIOU, J.-M. 2000. Hawk moths of the world. An annotated and

illustrated revisionary checklist (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Cornell University Press, Ithaca; viii

+ 226 pp.

LACHLAN, R.B. and MOULDS, M.S. 1996. A new species of Theretra Hübner (Lepidoptera;

Sphingidae) from Vanuatu. Australian Entomologist 23(1): 1-6.

ROBINSON, G.S. 1975. Macrolepidoptera of Fiji and Rotuma. A taxonomic and geographic

study. E.W. Classey, Faringdon; vii + 362 pp.

ROTHSCHILD, L.W. 1894. Notes on Sphingidae, with descriptions of new species. Novitates

Zoologicae 1: 65-98.

ROTHSCHILD, L.W. and JORDAN, K. 1903. A revision of the lepidopterous family

Sphingidae. Novitates Zoologicae 9, supplement: 972 pp.

SCHMIT, P. 2002. Les Sphingidae de Nouvelle-Calédonie (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Bulletin

des Lépidoptéristes Parisiens 11(22): 44-51.

TENNENT, W.J. 1999, An annotated checklist of the hawk moths of the Solomon Islands and

Bougainville — part 2 — (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae). Lambillionea 99: 295-308.

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4): 177-180 177

THE FIRST RECORD OF EUPLOEA MODESTA LUGENS BUTLER

(LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE: DANAINAE)

FROM AUSTRALIA

C.E. MEYER!, S.S. BROWN? and R.P. WEIR?

110 Anne Clark Avenue, Nicholls, ACT 2913

719 Kimberley Drive, Bowral, NSW 2576

31 Longwood Avenue, Leanyer, NT 0812

Abstract

Euploea modesta lugens Butler is recorded from Murray Island in Torres Strait, Queensland and

is the first record of Euploea modesta Butler from Australia. A previous record from Thursday

Island is actually of Euploea crameri crameri Lucas. This record is considered erroneous as the

nearest known locality for E. crameri Lucas is approximately 3700 kilometres to the west of

Thursday Island, casting doubt over the reliability of the label data for other Elgner butterfly

records for the period he was operating out of Thursday Island.

Introduction

Euploea modesta Butler occurs widely from Burma and Hainan to Sumatra,

Java and Borneo and throughout the Lesser Sunda Islands to Alor and Wetar.

It is apparently absent from the Moluccas but occurs in Biak, Papua New

Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago and Goodenough

Island (Ackery and Vane-Wright 1984). In Papua New Guinea, E. modesta is

sporadic in its overall distribution. It is rare generally but may be occasional

locally and is represented by seven subspecies: E. m. lugens Butler, E. m.

misagenes Fruhstorfer, E. m. insulicola Strand, E. m. werneri Fruhstorfer, E.

m. jennessi Carpenter, E. m. cerberus Butler and E. m. griseitincta Carpenter

(Parsons 1998). E. m. lugens occurs on mainland Papua New Guinea, where

it is apparently restricted to the hinterlands of Port Moresby in Central

Province, with the other six subspecies recorded from islands to the north and

east of the mainland (Parsons 1998, Carpenter 1953).

Waterhouse and Lyell (1914) first described a male specimen of E. alcathoe

monilifera (Moore), under the name E. alectro Butler, from Thursday Island

and noted that it had well developed white subapical dots both above and

beneath the forewing distinguishing it from the other known male from Cape

York. Waterhouse (1932) and Common and Waterhouse (1972, 1981)

continued to assign this specimen to E. alcathoe monilifera. De Baar (1988)

reported that the specimen was in fact the only record of E. modesta from

Australia known so far. De Baar (1988) based his assessment on the absence

of a dark greyish speculum on the upperside of the hindwing and the species

known from neighbouring areas of Papua New Guinea (M. De Baar, pers.

comm.). Dunn and Dunn (1991) tentatively assigned the record to subspecies

E. m. lugens; however, they noted that the specimen from Thursday Island

had not been examined. One can only assume that Dunn and Dunn (1991)

assigned this record to E. m. lugens based on the geographical proximity of

Thursday Island to Port Moresby. Braby (2000) also made note of the

173 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

Thursday Island specimen; however, he noted that further information was

required in order to establish whether E. modesta really occurs in Australia.

On 9 April 2001, a single male E. modesta (Figs 2, 3) was captured on

Murray Island, flying around Lantana sp. (Verbenaceae) growing on the

verges of rainforest. The butterfly was sympatric with E. algea amycus

Miskin and Euploea batesii resarta Butler and superficially resembled the

white-spotted male E. algea phenotypes encountered on the island.

Discussion

Males of E. m. lugens are very similar to males of E. core corinna (W.S.

Macleay) and the white-spotted phenotype of E. algea amycus Miskin but

can principally be separated by the absence of the upperside forewing sex-

brand (Ackery and Vane-Wright 1984, Parsons 1998). The male also lacks

the distinctive purple sheen that is present on the upperside forewing of £.

algea males, being more chocolate brown in colour. Females of E. m. lugens

are similar to the males but their inner forewing margins are straight and they

are very difficult to separate from females of E. algea (Parsons 1998).

The male from Murray Island (Figs 2-3) closely resembles the phenotypes of

E. m. lugens illustrated by Ackery and Vane-Wright (1984, p. 380, pl. 44, fig.

254) and Parsons (1998, pl.78, figs 2340-2341). The Murray Island specimen

also fits within the range of variation of the specimens of E. m. lugens from

Papua New Guinea held in the Australian Museum (D. Britton and J. Weiner,

pers. comm.). The Murray Island specimen is therefore referred to E. m.

lugens and represents a possible range extension of approximately 350

kilometres to the west of Port Moresby for this subspecies.

Parsons (1998) described E. modesta as being regionally variable and part of

a mimicry complex with E. alcathoe diadema (Moore) and E. algea violetta

(Butler) in the Port Moresby region. Parsons (1998) noted that in this area £.

algea and E. modesta are so similar that the only obvious external difference

between their males is the absence of the upperside forewing sex-brand in £.

modesta. The same mimicry complex apparently occurs on Murray Island

between E. algea amycus and E. m. lugens.

The adult specimen of E. modesta from Thursday Island referred to in the

literature is illustrated for the first time in Fig. 1. It was apparently collected

by H. Elgner in the early 1900s. At the time Elgner was collecting in the

Indonesian area as well as in Torres Strait (T.A. Lambkin, pers comm.). The

specimen has an identification label by H. Hacker inscribed ‘Euploea alecto

monilifera Moore 1883’ (M. De Baar, pers. comm.). It has recently been reset

and has been confirmed as E. crameri crameri Lucas after comparison with

other available material (M. De Baar, pers. comm.). E. crameri is very

similar to E. modesta but males can be distinguished by a dark streak in the

posterior half of cell Cu on the underside of the forewing (Ackery and

Vane-Wright 1984). It is understandable that E. crameri has never been

Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4) 179

Figs 1-3. Euploea spp. (1) E. crameri crameri Lucas from ? Thursday Island; (2-3) £.

modesta lugens Butler from Murray Island: (2) upperside; (3) underside.

180 Australian Entomologist, 2004, 31 (4)

considered as a possible candidate for the Thursday Island specimen in the

past, as E. crameri has only been recorded from the Bay of Bengal, Burma

and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali, some 3700

kilometres to the west of Thursday Island (Ackery and Vane-Wright 1984). It

is considered highly unlikely that this specimen was blown in.

Confirmation that the Thursday Island specimen is Æ. crameri crameri must

therefore place in doubt the reliability of the label data for other H. Elgner

butterfly records from the period and may help to explain why other Elgner

butterfly records of 1910 from the islands of Torres Strait, such as Tagiades

nestus (C. Felder), Eurema blanda (Boisduval), Taenaris catops (Westwood)

(two females), and Melanitis amabilis (Boisduval) have not been encountered

since, despite extensive collecting throughout the islands.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ron Day, Chairman of the Murray Island

council, for permission to collect on the island; James Bon, the Murray Island

AQIS representative, for clearance of material; Murdoch De Baar for advice

on the Thursday Island specimen and permission to include a photograph in

this paper; Dave Britton and Jean Weiner for their advice on E. modesta

specimens in the Australian Museum collection; and in particular Jean

Weiner for suggesting that the Thursday I. specimen could be E. crameri.

References

ACKERY, P.R. and VANE-WRIGHT, R.I. 1984. Milkweed butterflies: their cladistics and

biology. British Museum (Natural History), London; ix + 425 pp.

BRABY, M.F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and distribution.

CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood; xxvii + 976 pp.

CARPENTER, G.D.H. 1953. The genus Euploea in Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and

Australia: a zoogeographical study. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 28: 1-165,

9 pls, 1 map.

COMMON, LF.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1972. Butterflies of Australia. Angus and

Robertson, Sydney; xii + 498 pp, 41 pls.

COMMON, I.F.B. and WATERHOUSE, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. 2nd ed. Angus and

Robertson, Sydney; xiv + 682 pp, 47 pls.

DE BAAR, M. 1988. Insects collected during a trip to Torres Strait 27 March to 10 April, 1987.

News Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Queensland 15: 107-117.

DUNN, K.L. and DUNN, L.E. 1991. Review of Australian butterflies: distribution, life history

and taxonomy. Part 4. Family Nymphalidae. Privately published by the authors, Melbourne; v +

513 - 660 pp.

PARSONS, M. [1998]. The butterflies of Papua New Guinea: their systematics and biology.

Academic Press, London; xvi + 736 pp, 162 pls.

WATERHOUSE, G.A. 1932. What butterfly is that? Angus and Robertson, Sydney; 291 pp, 32

pls.

WATERHOUSE, G.A. and LYELL, G. 1914. The butterflies of Australia. Angus and Robertson,

Sydney; 239 pp.

THE

AUSTRALIAN

ENTOMOLOGIST

VOLUME 31

2004

Published by:

THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND

ii

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THE AUSTRALIAN ENTOMOLOGIST

Contents : Volume 31, 2004

ATKINS, A.F.

New larval foodplant records and notes on the biology of Trapezites symmomus

Hübner, 7. praxedes (Plòtz), T. maheta (Hewitson) and Hesperilla sarnia Atkins

(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae) from southeast Queensland

BASHFORD, R.

The insects associated with galls formed by Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae

(Froggatt) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) on Acacia species in Tasmania

BELLIS, G.A., DONALDSON, J.F., CARVER, M., HANCOCK, D.L.

and FLETCHER, M.J.

Records of insect pests on Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands,

Indian Ocean

BROWN, S.S.

A range extension for Protographium leosthenes leosthenes (Doubleday)

(Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) in southern Australia

BROWN, S.S., MEYER, C.E. and WEIR, R.P.

Notes on the life history of Papilio amynthor amphiaraus C. & R. Felder

(Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from Norfolk Island

DE BAAR, M.

Notes on the status of some Elodina C. & R. Felder species (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

GOTTS, R.I.C. and GINN, S.G.

New subspecies of Delias Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from West Papua,

Indonesia

HANCOCK, D.L.

A review of the fruit fly tribe Pliomelaenini (Diptera: Tephritidae: Tephritinae)

in the Indo-Australian region

HANCOCK, D.L. and DREW, R.A.I.

Notes on the genus Euphranta Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae), with description of

four new species

HANCOCK, D.L. and MONTEITH, G.B.

Some records of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from western Cape York Peninsula,

Queensland

JOHNSON, S.J. and VALENTINE, P.S.

Notes on the biology and distribution of Trapezites taori Atkins (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae)

LACHLAN, R.B.

An annotated list of the hawk moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Lizard Island,

Queensland

LACHLAN, R.B.

Description of a second species of Gnathothlibus Wallengren (Lepidoptera:

Sphingidae) from Australia

LACHLAN, R.B.

A new subspecies and a revised status in Theretra Hübner (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

from Vanuatu and New Caledonia

LACHLAN, R.B. and KNIGHT, A.I.

The hawk moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Dauan Island, northern Torres Strait,

Queensland

LAMBKIN, T.A.

Successful establishment of Encarsia ?haitiensis Dozier (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

in Torres Strait, Queensland, for the biological control of A/eurodicus dispersus

Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

iii

137

110

103

37

49

133

151

21

13

169

147

83

iv

LAMBKIN, T.A. and KNIGHT, A.I.

The occurrence of Appias olferna Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) on Christmas

Island, Indian Ocean

LAMBKIN, T.A. and KNIGHT, A.I.

The first Australian record of Cephrenes moseleyi (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

from Torres Strait, Queensland

LANE, D.A.

Additional note on a new species of Neodiphthera Fletcher (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

from northeastern Queensland

LANE, D.A. and EDWARDS, E.D.

A new species and new records of Hypochrysops C. & R. Felder (Lepidoptera:

Lycaenidae) from Papua New Guinea

LANE, M.D., NAUMANN, S. and LANE, D.A.

A new species of Antheraea Hübner (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from East Timor

MEYER, C.E., BROWN, S.S. and WEIR, R.P.

The first record of Euploea modesta lugens Butler (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae:

Danainae) from Australia

MILLER, C.G. and LANE, D.A.

A new species of Acrodipsas Sands (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from the Northern

Territory

MOORE, A.D., SEQUEIRA, R.V. and WOODGER, T.A.

Susceptibility of crop plants to Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) B-biotype (Hemiptera:

Aleyrodidae) in central Queensland, Australia

MOORE, B.P.

A new cave-dwelling species of Laccocenus Sloane (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Psydrini)

from southern New South Wales

MÜLLER, C.J.

A new species of Nirvanopsis Vane-Wright (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from the Sula

Islands, Indonesia

MÜLLER, C.J.

A new species of Acupicta Eliot (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia

PETERS, J.V.

New and overlooked records of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from islands of the Great

Barrier Reef, Queensland

ROYER, J. and DOSTIE, B.

Host plant and seasonal abundance of Bactrocera visenda (Hardy) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

SANDERS, M.G.

Notes on a mass aggregation of Illyria burkei (Goding & Froggatt) (Hemiptera:

Cicadidae) in central Queensland

TENNENT, W.J.

A note on the publication date of ‘The butterflies of Papua New Guinea ...' by

M.J. Parsons

VALENTINE, P.S. and JOHNSON, S.J.

The life history and distribution of Rachelia extrusa (C. & R. Felder) (Lepidoptera:

Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae) in Australia

RECENT LITERATURE

81

107

20

59

123

177

141

122

29

43

BOOK REVIEWS 4, 28, 92

Publication dates:

Part 1 (pp 1-44) 26 March 2004 Part 3 (pp 93-136) 27 September 2004

Part 2 (pp 45-92) 25 June 2004 Part 4 (pp 137-180) 17 December 2004

ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTICES

Items for insertion should be sent to the editor who reserves the right to alter, reject

or charge for notices.

WANTED. Specific butterfly collection data for inclusion in a planned

systematic list of the butterflies of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia plus the

Bismarck Archipelago. Even common butterflies with reliable island data are

valuable. John Tennent, 38 Colin McLean Road, Dereham, Norfolk NRI9 2RY,

England (e-mail jt@storment.freeserve.co.uk).

NOTES FOR AUTHORS

Manuscripts submitted for publication should, preferably, be type-written, double

spaced and in triplicate. Refer to recent issues for layout and style.

All papers will be forwarded to two referees and the editor reserves the right to reject

any paper considered unsuitable.

Papers longer than ten printed pages will normally not be accepted.

Papers will be accepted only if a minimum of 100 reprints is purchased. Manuscripts

occupying less than one printed page may be accepted without charge if no reprints

are required. Charges are as follows: cost per printed page $27.50 (B&W), $60

(colour) for 100 copies. Page charges may be reduced at the discretion of the

Publications Committee.

Illustrations. Both colour and B&W photographs must be submitted at the size they

are to appear in the journal. Line drawings should be about twice their required size.

Address manuscripts to: The Editor

The Australian Entomologist

P.O. Box 537,

Indooroopilly, Old, 4068

Australia

Printed by ColourWise Reproductions, 300 Ann Street, Brisbane, 4000.

THE AUSTRALIAN

Entomologist

Volume 31, Part 4, 17 December 2004

KEE

CONTENTS

ATKINS, A.

New larval foodplant records and notes on the biology of Trapezites

symmomus Hübner, T. praxedes (Plótz). T. mabeta (Hewitson) and

Hesperilla sarnia Atkins (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Trapezitinae)

from southeast Queensland.

HANCOCK, D.L. AND DREW, R.A.I.

Notes on the genus Euphranta Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae), with

description of four new species.

LACHLAN, R.B.

A new subspecies and a revised status in Theretra Hübner

(Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

LACHIAN, R.B. AND KNIGHT, A.I.

The hawk moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Dauan Island, northern Torres

Strait, Queensland.

MEYER, C.E., BROWN, S.S. AND WEIR, R.P.

The first record of Euploea modesta lugens Butler (Lepidoptera:

Nymphalidae: Danainae) from Australia.

MILLER, C.G. AND LANE, D.A.

À new species of Acrodipsas Sands (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from the

Northern Territorv.

ISSN 1320 6133