Agrotera heliochlaena Hampson
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Spilomelinae
- Genus: Agrotera
- Distribution: Sri Lanka, Burma, W. Malaysia, Sabah, Java, Sumbawa, Bali.
- Habitat: Lowland and lower montane; <1500m.
- Wing Length: 11-28mm
Taxonomy
Agrotera magnificalis Hampson 1893: 173-174, (Plate CLXXIV. fig. 17. TL Sumbawa.
It is said to be junior subjective syn. of Sagariphora heliochlaena Meyrick 1894: 461 but this needs to be verified.
A. scissalis, A. heliochlaena and A. magnificalis are distinct from other Agrotera spp and may prove not to be congeneric with the A. basinotata group.
Description
This is a very distinctive Agrotera sp. having broad wings with a broad orange basal area and steel blue distal parts. The males have prominent valvae and associated fulvous scale pencils. Its wingspan can range up to 28mm. It is similar to A. heliochlaena Meyrick, 1894 (illustrated in RTS 1994), which has a slightly different wing shape and said to have curled tufts on its hind tibia unlike magnificalis (RTS: 183-4). Agrotera scissalis Walker ([1866] 1865) is similar but that species lacks any orange at the HW base. The erebid (Herminiinae) Acidon semiochrea Holloway, 2008 has superficially similar FW fascies and colouration but can be easily distinguished by its long recurved labial palpi.
References
- Hampson, G. F. (1893) The Macrolepidoptera Heterocera of Ceylon. Ill. typ. spec. Lepid. Heteroc. coll. B.M., 9. 182 pp., pl. 157-176. London.
- Meyrick, E. (1894) XVIII On Pyralidina from the Malay Archipelago, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1894: 455-480.
- RTS (1994): 183-4, pl. 30, fig. 17.
