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Stictoptera
trajiciens Walker
Steiria trajiciens Walker,
1857, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 13: 1137.
Diagnosis. The forewings are greyish with the generally longitudinal striation
broken by a roughly straight transverse arrangement of thin lines involving the
reniform and postmedial; there is a diagnostic white spot subtornally (weak in
the specimen illustrated). The uncus of the male genitalia is sigmoid. There is
no polymorphism in the facies.
Geographical range. Oriental tropics to Sundaland, Philippines, Sulawesi
and New Guinea.
Habitat preference. In the Mulu survey three were taken in upper montane
forest on G. Mulu and one in secondary alluvial forest near Long Melinau. In
Brunei two were taken in dry heath forest in the lowlands at Telisai.
Biology. The larva was described by Bell (MS). It is shaped like that of cucullioides
with a ‘berry-like’ swollen anterior part, from thoracic segment 2 to
abdominal segment 2; the eighth abdominal segment is also slightly tumid. The
colour is dull watery green except for the swollen anterior part which is dull
maroon; abdominal segments 10 to 12 are soiled with light maroon and the sides
of 10 are largely yellow; the prothorax is yellow as well as the anal claspers,
but the other prolegs are green, the feet largely bilobed, livid pinkish white
and with large crochets; there are lateral and subspiracular whitish lines from
abdominal segments 2 to 10 (on the green part). The length at maturity is 20mm
and the breadth of the swollen part is 5mm. The head is light orange or greenish
orange. Another colour variant lacked the maroon colouration of the swollen part
and posterior part of the abdomen. The larva turns a greenish shiny purple prior
to pupation.
The host-plant recorded by Bell in India was Garcinia indica, and
the species has been reared from G. kandis in Peninsular Malaysia by Dr
Tho Yow Pong.
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