SUBFAMILY STICTOPTERINAE
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Lophoptera brunnistis sp. n.


Lophoptera brunnistis


12-14mm. The general appearance of this species is as in purpuribasis and purpuriridis (see below) but the forewings are uniform brown, lacking a strong purplish tone and paler zones. The male genitalia of this and the next species share characters with L. hypenistis Hampson (N.E. Himalaya, Burma) such as the apical scrolled modification of the slender uncus and the oblong valves with two central, subbasal lobes. All the species have two very slender coremata in the male on each side of the membrane between abdominal segments 7 and 8; segment 8 is otherwise of typical Lophoptera form. L. hypenistis is slightly paler brown in the forewing with an entire, straight, oblique, pale postmedial which has a paler zone grading away basad. In the male genitalia the valve costa of hypenistis has a more distinct bulge over the basal half, and the more distal of the subbasal lobes is much shorter, less angled at the distal corner; the uncus apex in hypenistis resembles the head of a snake, open-mouthed, rather than being tightly scrolled, and the aedeagus contains significant scobination, almost lacking in brunnistis. In the female genitalia of brunnistis the post-ostial invagination is small, well distanced from the ostium; the ostium is flanked by a pair of small, kidney- shaped setose lobes.

Holotype . SARAWAK: Gunong Mulu Nat. Park, R.G.S. Exped. 1977-8 (J.D. Holloway et al.) Site 26, April, G. Api Pinnacles, 1200m, open scrub, MV, BM noctuid slide 10644.

Paratypes. 18 examples, same general data as holotype, various localities, BM noctuid slide 11413 
().

Geographical range. Borneo, Sumatra; ?Sulawesi, Buru and New Guinea (specimens (slides 11399, 11406, 11417) with similar male genitalia but also a paler diffuse zone basal to the postmedial).

Habitat preference. During the Mulu survey the species was found to be common in lower and upper montane forest on both G. Mulu and G. Api.

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