Request for identification of Moths from Assam

[Saffron]

Dear Dr. Seow sir, It had been a while since i have not posted any thread on this forum. I was engaged in field surveys in upper Assam.

Today I am posting some of the interesting findings from my last visits. Can you please help me in identifying these moths with their id pointers as these species are not very commonly seen in my area or region. My tentative ids are attached with the post.

Thanking you in advance.


1. Eugoa aequalis? However the spots on the FW are unusual.

28872


2. Evecliptopera decurrens (Moore, 1888) or Evecliptopera illitata (Wileman, 1911)??
I am really curious about this genus. nic.FUNET considers them to be separate species. Kindly provide detail about this genus if possible.
https://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/geometroidea/geometridae/larentiinae/evecliptopera/

28873


3. Ilema melanochlora??

28874


4. Does not find any probable match

28875


5. No probable match

28876


6. Kamalia??

28877


7. Any confirmation of this Spirama?

28878


8. Hypopyra?

28879


9. Which Clanis?

28880

[Psyche]

I actually have not done moths for quite a while.
Give me time to look over them slowly.


1.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28872&d=1753646604
This actually looks correct for Eugoa aequalis.
It is probably at the extreme of its range in Assam.
https://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-7/eugoawalker/eugoawalker_5_1.php
https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiud/53413855153/


The others recorded in Assam do not match.
https://www.mothsofindia.org/eugoa-basipuncta
https://lepidopterology.blogspot.com/2015/08/eugoa-cernyi.html
https://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=961764
E. eurypaea fig 13.
https://archive.org/details/catalogueoflepid12brit/page/n195/mode/2up?view=theater



2. https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28873
Evecliptopera decurrens.
Range NE India to SW China.
Japanese entomologists have separated the two taxa.
E. decurrens ( decurrens ...to run down).
FW white lines continue down on HW.
FW antemedial and medial lines more widely separated.
https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Evecliptopera_decurrens#/image/1/1


E. illitata. (illatata- smeared.)
White lines not extending down onto the HW.
FW antemedial and medial lines bunched closer together.
Range Far East, China, Taiwan, Japan.
https://lepiforum.org/wiki/page/Evecliptopera_illitata#/image/1/1
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/69_Geometridae/72.9_Larentiinae/2463Evecliptopera_illitata/Evecliptopera_illitata.htm

[Psyche]

3.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28874
Ilema melanochlora.
The FW spots match well.
https://inaturalist.lu/observations/93606597



4.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28875&d=1753647145
Too dark and unclear.



5.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28876&d=1753647172
The white spot is familial but I cant recall which.
The only name recalled Amyna does not match.



6.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28877&d=1753647274
Neocerura liturata.
What appear to be a single thoracic spot is actually two close together.
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/1_1243-766-57b2e4cd579fc-1.jpg


Kamalia ssp.
No black submarginal vein streak and strong postmedial crescents.
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/346_14769-975-6086e8c4d5708-1.jpg

[Psyche]

7. https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28878&d=1753647292
Very likely Spirama retorta.

There are many confusion with the two sprcies S. retorta and helicina.
Many images are mixed up.
S. retorta has been a pest in Acacia mangium plantation for paper in P. Malaysia.
It is probable S. helicina is very rare or perhaps does not occur in P. Malaysia.

Spirama retorta.
HW submarginal pale band relatively regular and sometimes slightly wavy..
Clerck's original drawing of S. retorta.
https://books.google.fi/books?id=asM8Zgqsea8C&pg=PA54#v=onepage&q&f=false
P. malaysia.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/121999771
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/278968827
Sarawak (Borneo have no S. helicina.)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7492354
Singapore.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38500624
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192559522
India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirama_retorta#/media/File:Spirama_retorta_-_Indian_Owlet_moth.jpg
Korea
http://animal.memozee.com/view.php?tid=5&did=15223&lang=kr


Spirama helicina.
Mostly in the eastern half of Asia. Correction: Wrong assumption.
HW pale submarginal band distinctly wavy.
Hubner's original drawing of a specimen from Japan.
Note wavy HW submarginal band.
https://archive.org/details/zutrgezursamml00hb/page/n154/mode/1up?view=theater
Japan
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/80_Noctuidae/12_Erebinae/4245_Spirama_helicina/Spirama_helicina_0208169060.jpg
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/80_Noctuidae/12_Erebinae/4245_Spirama_helicina/Spirama_helicina_950811010.jpg
Thailand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirama_helicina#/media/File:Spirama_helicina-W-Thailand7810.JPG

[Psyche]

8.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28879&d=1753647355
Hypopyra vespertilio.
Note the FW medial line and the apical line do not meet end to end.
https://okunonature.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/img_9185.jpg

[Psyche]

9. https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28880&d=1753647451

Clanis bilineata.
Six species in India.
They can look very similar.

It is better to eliminate the obvious one by one.
They all have a white mid-costa triangle.

1. C. undulosa gigantea.
FW upper third pale above a line from inner margin of triangle to margin.
Apex with a dark patch with a strong diffuse white spot.
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/c_gig.htm
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/93_762-937-5653df73d3a44-1.jpg

2. C.titan.
FW with pale area around the triangle rounded.
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/c_tit.htm
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/observation/Clanis%20titan_1688042859_258042.jpg

3. C. hyperion.
FW with a broad dark band along the outer margin of triangle.
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/c_hyp.htm
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/306_5817-801-5d09efd104e2f-1.jpg

4. C. deucalion.
FW with the white triangle weak, but extending broadly down to the lower margin.
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/c_deu.htm
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/93_4966-842-5c2cb15318fbf-1.jpg


This leaves two possibilities .C. bilineata and phalaris.

5. C. bilineata.
FW white triangle more sharply defined ,the apex nearly right-angled.
https://tpittaway.tripod.com/china/c_bil.htm
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/observation/Clanis%20bilineata_1679246271_259611.jpg

6. C, pharalis.
FW white triangle poorly defined ,its inner border slightly concave, and the outer border diffusely rounded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clanis_phalaris#/media/File:Clanis_phalaris_phalaris_BMNHE813937_male_up. jpg
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/296_8698-905-5e4e1850a47f1-1.jpg


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Saffron]

Thank you so much sir for all the valuable information. Now I can atleast put my hands on the Genus Clanis. Here i have tried to identify the following species.

10. Tentative Id: Teleclita dryinopa

Here are the images

28883 28884 28885 28886


https://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/noto/dryinopa.html


11. Tentative id: Hyblaea constellata

28887 28888

https://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=10872

[Psyche]

Post 7 no 10.

Before I proceed any further, I need to know are all four images of one individual taken in India.
The fieldshots do look like Teleclita dryinopa but this species is Australian and have never been recorded in continental Asia.

[Saffron]

Yes sir. All four images are of the same individual and taken in Assam, India. This actually matches the morphological keys of the species. Kindly share your thoughts on this finding as no other species perhaps come close.

[Psyche]

I have not locate any original description of T. strigata but have seen many images including those by Nodotidae expert Dr. Schintlmeister.

Each species can be very variable.

T. dryinopa was redescribed by Turner as T. cydista.
Here is his description.
https://archive.org/details/proceedingsoflin28linn/page/54/mode/1up?view=theater
He also state it was very similar to Moore's Pheosia strigata.
The differences he state were
1. head of dryinopa is grey (ie that of strigata darker)
2. thoracic twin white spots not developed in strigata (or poorly so)
3. costal streaks less oblique (more aligned transversely) in strigata.

This last statement is very difficult to judge.
28889

The male strigata in Dr. Schintlmeister's book also looks somewhat similar to your image.
So there is a possibility it is a variant of a male T. strigata.

Most T. strigata images look different.
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/observation/Teleclita%20strigata_1709620495_284763.jpg
https://www.mothsofindia.org/sites/mothsofindia.org/files/observation/Teleclita%20strigata_1710117091_284916.jpg
Probably all females.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/214405527
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/86951202


T. dryinopa.
Male.
https://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/noto/dryinopa5.jpg
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/2c727f53-e04e-4b47-a2e4-c985e22b8b9d

Need to see a few more male strigata.
I would leave it as a tentative ID of T. dryimopa for confirmation.

[Psyche]

11. https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28887&d=1753900570

This fairly typical Hyblaea constellata.
HW with 4 round orange spots
FW often with twin curved bars.


10 is too similar to this male T. strigata.
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/Digital_Moths_of_Asia/90_NOCTUOIDEA/01_NOTODONTIDAE/05_Dicranurinae/33_Teleclita/Teleclita_strigata/Teleclita_strigata_080503058.jpg
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/Digital_Moths_of_Asia/90_NOCTUOIDEA/01_NOTODONTIDAE/05_Dicranurinae/33_Teleclita/Teleclita_strigata/Teleclita_strigata.htm



TL Seow: Cheers.