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Loepa sikkima Moore
Antheraea sikkima Moore, 1865, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1865: 818.
Loepa sikkima Moore; Allen, 1981: 113; Holloway, 1982: 192; Lampe, 1985:
9.
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Loepa sikkima 
(.61
natural size)
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Loepa
sikkima (Saturniidae); Hong Kong (M.J. Bascombe)
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Diagnosis. The broad pink zone to the subbasal fascia of the forewing is
distinctive; see Loepa megacore
Jordan.
Taxonomic notes. Holloway (1982) attributed material from Peninsular
Malaysia, Sumatra and Java to sikkima on genitalic grounds but stated that
the rufous suffusion of typical sikkima was lacking. The course of the
subbasal fascia on the forewing is directed towards the thorax posteriorly
in sikkima but towards the dorsum in katinka. The name javanica Mell may
be applicable to this Sundanian taxon, but the type needs to be checked.
The three genitalic types recognised by Holloway are figured.
L. katinka has a rather broad vesica with two small lobes and a weak,
obtuse cornutus half way to the apex; the aedeagus apex has a small
process with several small spines. A Sumatran insect may be related or
conspecific. Sundanian
specimens
referred to sikkima here share the following genitalic features with
typical Himalayan specimens: undulation of the ventral margin of the valve
apex; a narrow, monolobed aedeagus vesica; a basal, heavily sclerotised,
acute cornutus either on an extension of the aedeagus apex sclerotisation
into the vesica (Sundaland) or as a more distal, more acute, independent
spine (typical).
Geographical range. N.E. Himalaya, Sundaland.
Habitat preference. The single male seen was taken in lowland forest, Ulu
Temburong, Brunei.
Biology. The Javan larva illustrated by Horsfield & Moore (1858-1859)
may be referable to sikkima rather than katinka. It is pale green with
numerous darker spots and, on each segment, a series of scoli: two short
ones below the spiracles from T1 to A2, single ones thereafter; dorsally
four long ones on each abdominal segment to A8; on the thoracic segments
there are humps over the dorsal surface. The host-plants given were Cissus
(Vitidaceae) and Leea (Leeaceae). The drawing is a poor one.
Nassig (in press, a) has described all instars of Sundanian sikkima. The
later instars are dark reddish or black with red scoli. The lateral
triangular patches are small, whitish yellow. The larva illustrated in
Plate 20 is of a possible sikkima race from Hong Kong, the host-plant
being Saurauia (Actinidaceae) (M.J. Bascombe, in litt.).
The larva of katinka is illustrated by Gardiner (1982: plate IV); it is
dark brown, setose, and has conspicuous triangular white patches laterally
on each segment. Arora & Gupta (1979) note it as feeding on Dillenia
(Dilleniaceae),
and Gardiner indicates a preference for Vitidaceae.
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