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The Tigermoths (Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) of Papua Indonesia
by Rob de Vos
Spilosoma styx (Bethune-Baker, 1910)
[Diacrisia styx Bethune-Baker, 1910] (holotype: Ninay Valley, Arfak Mts., in BMNH)
ssp. styx (Bethune-Baker, 1910)
ssp. albistriga Talbot, 1929 [Spilosoma styx albistriga] (holotype: Nomnagihé, Kobowre Mts., in BMNH)endemic species!
Variation
The species is quite variable with more or less extended white pattern. Two isolated populations of styx differ considerably and are recognized as subspecies, but one specimen from Ampas (NE Papua) with the appearance of styx s.str. (Birdshead Peninsula) indicates that this definition could be very weak and probably will not hold when more material of other localities will become available.
Distribution
STATUS: The species is endemic in Papua. Both subspecies are rare. In the map ssp. styx is represented by red dots, ssp. albistriga by blue dots.
PAPUA LOCALITIES: ssp. styx: New Guinea: Ampas (Waris District), Demaisi, Ninay Valley (Arfak Mts.), Taritatu River, Warkapi (Arfak); ssp. albistriga: New Guinea: Nomnagihé, 25 miles south of Wangaar (Kobowre or Weyland Mts.) Details in gazetteer.
EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION: none.
DATA SOURCES: BMNH, ZMAN, collection Sinnema. Literature (see below).
Literature
Bethune-Baker, G.T., 1910. Descriptions of new species of Heterocera from New Guinea. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History (8)6: 441-458.
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.
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.
Talbot, G., 1929. Descriptions of some moths collected by Messrs. C., F., and J. Pratt in New Guinea, Ceram, Buru, and Sumatra. The Bulletin of the Hill Museum, Witley 3(2): 87-95.
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.
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.
