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

by Rob de Vos

 

 

Amerila timolis (Rothschild, 1914)

[Rhodogastria timolis Rothschild, 1914] (type (TL: Queensland, Australia) not located)

ssp. papuana (Rothschild, 1914) [Rhodogastria timolis papuana] (type (TL: New Guinea) not located)
tenebrosa Rothschild, 1916 [Rhodogastria timolis tenebrosa] (holotype (TL: Vulcan Island, PNG) in BMNH)

Similar species

Amerila timolis resembles more or less A. astreus but timolis has a smokey appearance while astreus is brighter and paler. The hindwings of timolis are almost round and smokey with a distinct pale costal area, in astreus the hindwing is more stretched with a small tornal lobe and is much more brighter and subhyaline.

 

Distribution

 

 

 

 

STATUS: Not particularly common. Mostly found at coastal areas and at low altitudes. The records from Abmisibil are an exception.

PAPUA LOCALITIES: Salawati; Roon: Yende; New Guinea: Abmisibil, Arfak Mts., Asike, Depapre, Genyem, Ifar, Meja Reserve (Manokwari), Mokwam, Nabire, Ninay Valley (Arfak), Noordwijk (Jayapura), Prafi, Rasiei (Wandammen), Sentani, Warkapi, Wasior (Wandammen), Yemang (Jayapura). Details in gazetteer.

EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION: ssp. papuana: Papua New Guinea, Vulcan Island (Manam). The nomotypical subspecies occurs in Queensland, Australia.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Literature

Edwards, E.D., 1996. Arctiidae. In: Nielsen, E.S., E.D. Edwards & T.V. Rangsi, 1996. Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera 4: 1-529.
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.
Häuser, C.L., 1993. A critical catalogue of species-group names of the genus Amerila Walker, 1855 (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo 13(3a): 365-392.
Rothschild, L.W., 1916. On the Lepidoptera in the Tring Museum sent by Mr. A.S. Meek from the Admiralty Islands, Dampier and Vulcan Islands. Novitates Zoologicae 23(3): 319-334.
Strand. E., 1919. Lepidopterorum Catalogus 22: Arctiidae: Subfam. Arctiinae: 1-416. W. Junk, Berlin.
Zamesov, A.N. & O.G. Gorbunov, 2014. To the knowledge of Macroheterocera of Southeast Asia and New Guinea. III. Tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Arctiinae) of Papua Province, Indonesia. Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea 2: 437-448.