Gadessa nicoalis Walker

Taxonomy

The damaged female holotype of Botys nicoalis Walker, 1859d: 700 is from Sarawak. The specimen [type #1037] is in the Oxford U.M.N.H. The specimen was collected by A.R. Wallace.

• syn. Sarsocelis earbalis Swinhoe, 1906a: 290 from North Borneo [Sabah, Sandakan]. As syn in LepIndex). Initially it was not in Globiz.
  • ms. syn. Botys sordidalis Snellen, 1890: 589 [= Haritala sordidalis, Warren MSS]. Haritala sordidalis, Warren MSS. TL Sikkim ; Moller. (Snellen, 1890: 589)

Snellen (1890: 589) commented 'seems rare at about 4000ft [1220m]'. The male type is from Sarawak. H. J. E' [H. J. Elwes] Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond.; 1890. IV. (Dec.) 2 R which seems ambiguous but we interpret that to mean that Snellen considered it syn. with Botys megillalis Walker, 1859d: 700-701. Snellen provided no description but the type is in the BMNH.

See Gadessa nicoalis (Walker, 1859).

It is treated as a junior subjective syn. of Botys megillalis Walker, 1859d: 700-701 in LepIndex but it is nothing like that sp. Initially it was not in Globiz.

We treat it as a junior subjective syn. T.L. Malaysia, Sarawak.

Treated as Phostria in Lepindex.

Description

A dark ochreous brown taxon with blackish-brown ante-median and post-median lines. The FW PML is coarsely serrate in the middle and it is retracted after the centre towards the median position. The FW has an elongate spot in the FW cell and a small punctum at the base of the cell. In some specimens it is barely visible. The termenae of the wings have a narrow crenulate ochreous marginal band and the cillia are short and dark. Dorsally the head, thorax and abdomen are pale purplish buff. The males have a narrow black is band near the tip of the abdomen. Schulze (2000) Taxon # 159 ‘Pleuroptya sp. 5’.

References

• Snellen, 1890: 589
• Swinhoe, 1906a: 290.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) XVIII Pyralites, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.