Papua Insects Foundation (Lepidoptera/Erebidae/Arctiinae/Spilosoma biagi)

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The Tigermoths (Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) of Papua Indonesia

by Rob de Vos

Spilosoma biagi (Bethune-Baker, 1908)

[Diacrisia biagi Bethune-Baker, 1908] (holotype: Biagi, Mambare River, PNG, in BMNH)

synonyms:

Diacrisia biagi elongata Rothschild, 1914 (lectotype: Ninay Valley, Arfak, in BMNH)
Diacrisia biagi angiana Joicey & Talbot, 1916 (holotype: Anggi Lakes, Arfak, in BMNH)
Diacrisia nigricorna Joicey & Talbot, 1916 (holotype: Wandammen Mts., in BMNH)
nigricornis sensu Hampson, 1920 (misspelling)

Variation

The species is extremely variable with the black pattern more or less extended. This has led to the description of some subspecies which in fact are varieties. Females are rarely found and have the same extreme variation as seen in males (see pictures below).

Distribution

STATUS:. Restricted to mountainous areas at altitudes from 300 to 2100 meter. Females are extremely rare in collections, they probably are not attracted to light.

PAPUA LOCALITIES: New Guinea: Abmisibil, Anggi Lakes (Arfak), Bilogai, Bivak 39a (Star Mts.), Keerom, Mabilabol, Mokwam, Nabire, Ninay Valley (Arfak), Paniai, Pass Valley, Timeepa, Walmak (Nipsan), Wandammen Mts. Details in gazetteer.

EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION: Papua New Guinea.

DATA SOURCES: BMNH, CMWM, KSP, RMNH, ZMAN. Literature (see below).

Literature

Bethune-Baker, G.T., 1908. New Heterocera from British New Guinea. Novitates Zoologicae 15: 175-243.
Hampson, G.F., 1920. Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae. Supplement, volume 2. Catalogue of the Lithosiadae (Arctianae) and Phalaenoididae in the collection of the British Museum: 619 pp. British Museum, London.
Joicey & Talbot, J.J. & G., 1916a. New Lepidoptera from Dutch New Guinea. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History (8)17: 68-90.
Joicey & Talbot, J.J. & G., 1916b. Heterocera. in: Joicey, J.J., A. Noakes & G. Talbot, 1916. New Lepidoptera from Dutch New Guinea. The Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1915: 361-386.
Rothschild, L.W., 1910. Catalogue of the Arctianae in the Tring Museum, with notes and descriptions of new species II. Novitates Zoologicae 17(2: 113-171.
Rothschild, L.W., 1914. In: Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 10: Spinner und Schwarmer des Indo-Australischen Gebiets, Arctiidae: 236-263. A. Kernen, Stuttgart.
Strand, E., 1919. Lepidopterorum Catalogus 22: Arctiidae: Subfam. Arctiinae: 1-416. W. Junk, Berlin.
Thomas, W., 1990. Die von Rothschild, L.D., in Seitz, A., Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde, Bd. 10, beschriebenen Spilosoma-Arten (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) (Spilosomen-Studien 4. Nota Lepidopterologica 13(2-3): 177-185.
Vos, R. de & D. Suhartawan, 2011. The Spilosoma group of species from New Guinea and adjacent islands (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini). In: Telnov, D., 2011. Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea, Vol. I: 299-333.