|
Apsarasa
Moore
Type
species: radians Westwood
This
genus was revised by Grunberg (1911), who described three new species. He did
not examine the male genitalia of the taxa and had some misconception of the
localities of species already described (the Andaman A. figurata Moore
was noted from Kei; the Moluccan A. nigrocaerulea Hampson was noted from
Palawan). There is therefore good reason to reexamine the situation.
All
species have striking, long, almost oval forewings that are black with flecks of
deep blue iridescence and a series of wedge-shaped pale yellow- white markings
around the whole margin. There are two or three faint white flecks in the cell.
The hindwings are dark grey brown with a white marginal zone of variable extent.
The thorax is black with transverse pale yellow bars. The abdomen is blue-black,
with white scales associated with the genitalia. The pattern is repeated on the
underside of the wing, though with the hindwings having a pattern closer to
that of the forewings.
In
the male abdomen the trifine basal hair pencils are present. The eighth sternite
has long lateral rods anteriorly. The valves of the genitalia are of even width,
apically rounded, with the sacculus, in the form of a terminal harpe, extending
to the apex. The juxta is small, boomerang-shaped. The aedeagus is short, the
vesica globular, slightly bilobed.
In the female genitalia the lateral margins of the seventh sternite are
distinctively rounded. The ductus is short, unsclerotised, the bursa long,
asymmetric, rather sock-like, finely scobinate and slightly corrugate
throughout.
<<Back
>>Forward <<Return
to Contents page
|
