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The Giant Lappet Moths (Lepidoptera: Eupterotidae) of Papua Indonesia
by Vadim Zolotuhin
An innumerous group presented in New Guinea only by four endemic genera and one genus shared with Australia. All genera were never revised; it is thought that Melanergon Bethune-Baker, 1904, Lasiomorpha Joicey & Talbot, 1916 and Rarisquamosa Bethune-Baker, 1910 are monotypic. The large and taxonomically very complicated genus Cotana Walker, 1865 comprises species with very prominent sexual dimorphism of which it is impossible to match both sexes together without rearing or molecular analysis. Thirty taxa were described based on male specimens and another eight are based on females; only two pairs are rather reliable known, therefore the taxonomic pattern of the genus will involve a lot of synonymy in the future.
The status of Eupterote acuminalba van Eecke, 1924, Nova Guinea, Vol. 15, p. 47 (pl. 1, fig. 10), described from Dutch New Guinea, is still unclear. Being described as a saturniid moth (Eurhodia lyda ssp.) it was later transfered to Eupterote but the genus is not native to Papuan Region. The type specimen is not found yet; the original image shows a moth similar to the Bombycidae (Elachyophthalma sp. of the cotanoides Roth. group).
The list (given alphabetically for species) is very preliminary, with very suspect combinations given, and strongly needs further study (in prep.).
Listed New Guinea species: 35 [some of the Cotana species likely to be synonyms being described due to sexual dimorphism]
thumbnail gallery
Cotana Walker, 1865
Hypercydas Turner, 1903
Nervicompressa Bethune-Baker, 1904
Epicydas Bethune-Baker, 1908
Paracydas Bethune-Baker, 1910After both sexes described
joiceyi Rothschild, 1917
turneri (Bethune-Baker, 1908) [= rubrescens Walker, 1865]
After males described
aroa (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
affinis Rothschild, 1917
albomaculata (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
bakeri (Joicey & Talbot, 1917)
biagi (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
ssp. occidentalis Rothschild, 1932bisecta Rothschild, 1917
brunnescens Rothschild, 1917
dubia (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
erectilinea (Bethune-Baker, 1910)
setakwensis Rothschild, 1917germana Rothschild, 1917
kebeae (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
ssp. grandis Rothschild, 1917lunulata (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
borealis Rothschild, 1932
ab. unicolor Rothschild, 1932 [infraspecific]
montium Rothschild, 1932
occidentalis Rothschild, 1917
satisbona Rothschild, 1917meeki Rothschild, 1917
pallidipascia Rothschild, 1917
pallidifascia (sic sensu auct.)
postpallida (Rothschild, 1917)rosseliana Rothschild, 1917
ssp. diluta Rothschild, 1917
continentalis Rothschild, 1932rubrescens kapaura Rothschild, 1917 (see rubrescens below)
rubrescens oetakwensis Rothschild, 1917splendida Rothschild, 1932
? tenebricosa (Hering, 1931)
variegata Rothschild, 1917
unistrigata (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
After females described
albaserrati (Bethune-Baker, 1910)
castaneorufa Rothschild, 1917
doricrana (Bethune-Baker, 1908) [= dubia Bethune-Baker, 1904]
eichhorni Rothschild, 1932
ovata (Bethune-Baker, 1908) [=albomaculata Bethune-Baker, 1904]
rosseliana diluta Rothschild, 1917 [see rosseliana above]
rubiginea (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
rubrescens Walker, 1865
ssp. kapaura Rothschild, 1917 [male]
ssp. oetakwensis Rothschild, 1917 [male]Melanergon Bethune-Baker, 1904
vidua (Walker, 1865)
louisiadensis Rothschild, 1917
fergussonis Rothschild, 1917
proserpina Bethune-Baker, 1904Lasiomorpha Joicey & Talbot, 1916
noakesi Joicey & Talbot, 1916
meeki Rothschild, 1917Rarisquamosa Bethune-Baker, 1910
arfaki Bethune-Baker, 1910
Papuapterote Nässig & Oberprieler, 2008
crenulata (Joicey & Talbot, 1916)
punctata (Joicey & Talbot, 1916)
styx (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
[last update on 22nd October 2012]
