Agrioglypta excelsalis Walker

Taxonomy

The holotype of Glyphodes excelsalis Walker, 1865 [1866]: 1360 is from Australia (Q., Swan River). Comb. n. to Agrioglypta (Shaffer et al. 1996). There are several ssp., some unnamed.

• syn. Glyphodes westermani Snellen,1877b: 77, pl. 6 fig. 3. The male lectotype from Sumatra is in RMNH, Leiden. Syn. n. & stat. n. as a ssp. (Shaffer et al. 1996). Distribution, Sabah, Brunei, Kalimantan Berat, Java, Philippines & Sulawesi;
• syn. Glyphodes pedenotata Warren, 1896b: 117-118. TL New Caledonia, Loyalty Is. (Lifu). Ms syn. n. as a ssp. (Globiz).
• syn. Margaronia samoana Swinhoe 1906: 414-415, TL Samoa. Stat. n. as a ssp.

• ssp. excelsalis Walker, [1866] 1865, the nominate ssp;
• ssp. moresbyensis Strand, 1920: 154 [as a var.], stat. n. as a ssp. (Shaffer et al. 1996) TL PNG, Port Moresby. Distribution, PNG;
• ssp 1 un-named, Sulawesi;
• ssp 2 un-named, New Hebrides.

Description

Most Agrioglypta species have similar FW patterning with brown and ochreous markings on a silvery or yellow white background and with irridescent purplish areas. The A. itysalis group has two large white patches of the FW the distal one being roughly triangular. The HW has a large white basal area and margins with brown and irridescent purplish submarginal bands.

The proximal white patch on the FW is much wider than those in the similar A. itysalis & A. malayana. There is some geographic variability within A. excelsalis exemplified by the several sspp. The defining characteristics of the several sspp. is unclear. A specimen [RMNH.Ins. #19542] (Leiden) from Kalimantan Timur, (Pasir, Gunung Lumut Protection Forest) has been DNA barcoded [BOLD].

Food plants are sandpaper figs; Ficus stenocarpa & F. opposita (Moraceae).

References

• Walker (1865 [1866 Jan 13]) List Spec Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. 34, (Suppl. 4): 1121-1533.
• Walker, [1866] 1865: 1360
• Walker ([1866 Jan 13]1865) List Spec Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. 34, (Suppl. 4): 1121-1533.
• Swinhoe, C. (1906) LIX New and little known species of Heterocera from the East, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (Ser. 7) 18 (108): 403-416.
• Strand, E. (1920) In H. Sauter's Formosa-ausbeute: Noctuidae II Nebst nachträgen zu den familien Arctiidae, Lymantriidae, Notodontidae, Geometridae, Thyrididae, Pyralidae, Tortricidae, Gelechiidae un Oecophoridae, Arch. Naturgesch. 84 A (12) : 102-197.
• Shaffer, M., & Nielsen, E.S. & Horak, M. (1996) Pyraloidea (In Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangji (Eds.), Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia; 164-199, CSIRO, Australia.
• Ratnasingham, S. & Hebert, P.D.N.(2007) Barcoding - BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data System (www.barcodinglife.org), Molecular Ecology Notes (Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.: 10 pp.
• Snellen, P.C.T. (1877b) Heterocera op Sumatra verzameld door J.J. Korndörffer met Beschrijving van eenige Nieuwe Soorten, Tijdschr. v. Ent., 20: 65-79.
• Swinhoe, C. (1906d) LIX New and little known species of Eastern and Australian Heterocera. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 7, 18 (108): 403-416.
• Warren, W. (1896b) XVI New species of moths from the Khasia Hills, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, (18): 107-119.