Cirrhochrista brizoalis Walker
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Spilomelinae
- Tribe: Margaroniini
- Genus: Cirrhochrista
- Distribution: Sri Lanka, India (Widespread), Nepal, W. Malaysia, Singapore, Sabah, Indonesia (Sulawesi, Irian Jaya,), PNG, Australia (Q). Philippines, Sulawesi, China (Yunnan, Hong Kong), Taiwan, Japan.
- Habitat: Lowland and hill forest and disturbed areas <650m
- Wing Length: 9-13.5mm
Taxonomy
The female holotype of Margaronia brizoalis Walker, 1859e: 976 is in Oxford U.M.N.H. The type #1200 was collected by A.R. Wallace in Sarawak. Walker notes that two other specimens [Paratypes?] from Hong Kong and from Australia ([Queensland] Moreton Bay) were in the BMNH.
- syn. Cirrhochrista aetherialis Lederer, 1863c: 441, pl. 17 fig. 9. T.L. Indonesia, Moluccas, Ambon Island [Amboina]
- C. figuratalis Walker, 1865 [1866]: 1369, was long considered as a syn. but was re-erected as a good sp. by M. Shaffer, 1968 (MS note on LepIndex card).
Description
A rather large (c. 30mm wing span) and well patterned sp. with shining white wings and fulvous and brown triangular markings on the FW sub-costa the only traces of basal, median lines but the subapical line may be complete in some specimens. The costa, termen and tornus are fulvous with dark brown submarginally. The HW has a fulvous margin to the termen with dark brown submarginally. The fulvous orange of the end of the sub-termenal band wraps around the tornus onto the dorsal edge of the FW is a diagnostic. The wing pattern vary slightly across its range and some specimens have variations in the pattern of the orange and brown diamond shaped marks on the dorsum of the abdomen and it could prove to be a sp. complex. Part of the C. brizolalis group. Note that it lacks the circular spot found in C. figuratalis and C. annulifera.
References
- Walker ([1866 Jan 13] 1865) List Spec Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. 34, (Suppl. 4): 1121-1533.
- Walker, F. (1859e) Pyralides, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 19: 799-1036.
- Lederer, J. (1863c [Nov]) Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Pyralidinen. Wien. entomol. Monat. 7 (11): 379-426, pl. 2-18.