Coptobasis sp. 23

Taxonomy

Coptobasis? sp. 23; an un-named male morphospecies series in the Schulze Coll. from Sabah, mainly, PHS. Generic placement tentative due to its indistinct markings. It may be Omiodes.

Description

Both wings are dark brown sp. with a purple lustre. The FW has a distinct darker post-median and a looping ante-median line. There are two small spots, one circular the other crescentic in the discocellular area of the FW These may be pale centred. The HW has an indistinct looping ante-median line. The fringes of both wings are brown, but white basally forming a thin white, termenal fascia on both wings. The head thorax & abdomen are dark grey brown darker towards the abdomen tip. The abdomen is paler intersegmentally. The legs are brown and pale. There is a complex structure at the base of the antenna in these male specimens. The females may be Coptobasis sp 24 which is similar in colour & patterning but have shorter abdomens. These males have obvious bushy white or ochreous anal hair pencils. Schulze taxa #902 ‘Syllepte sp. 6’. #437 ‘Syllepte sp. 5’ Coptobasis microsema has more distinct but similar patterning and more a obvious cresentic mark in the FW cell.

References

• Schulze, C.H. (2000) Auswirkungen anthropogener Störungen auf die Diversität von Herbivoren. (Analys von Nachtfalterzönosen entlang von Habitatgradienten in Ost-Malaysia). Unpubl. PhD Thesis, University of Bayreuth, Germany: 350 pp.