FAMILY LASIOCAMPIDAE
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Streblote helpsi sp. n.


Streblote helpsi (paratype)
(natural size)

Streblote helpsi (paratype)
(natural size)


male.gif (860 bytes)male.gif (860 bytes)
21-23mm, female.gif (844 bytes)female.gif (844 bytes) 32-36mm. The males are dark brown as in the Philippines species castanea Swinhoe, but larger, with the hindwing distal margin straight to convex rather than slightly concave. There is a fine white postmedial that is further from the margin than that of castanea, entire rather than fading away centrally, and bilobed rather than monolobed subapically. There is a faint antemedial posterior to the cell, and a pale dash at the centre of the costa. The genitalia are as in castanea, but differ from those of the more contrasty, white banded enthismena Tams from Singapore in that the longer arm of the valve is more outcurved, and the cubile arms have the darker, serrate part more slender, with a more regular interior margin.

The females vary from the specimen illustrated in lacking pale fasciae on the wings or having them more pronounced. In castanea they are almost always pronounced, and there is a broad, diffuse, creamy white hand to the hindwing.

Holotype male.gif (860 bytes). BRUNEI: 0m, S. Selanjak, 4464/1432), mangrove 8-9. iii. 1984 (Maj. T.P.G. Helps).

Paratypes: 1male.gif (860 bytes)(slide 997), 2female.gif (844 bytes)female.gif (844 bytes) BRUNEI, [reared from Casuarina ex. Dept. Agriculture] (D.J. McCrae); 1female.gif (844 bytes) BRUNEI: 3m, Seria, secondary and coastal veg., 10.2.1980 (Lt. Col. M.G. Allen) bred from Casuarina; 1female.gif (844 bytes) BRUNEI: 3m, Mumong, secondary and coastal veg., 28.11.1979 (R. Fairclough).

Geographical range. Borneo.

Habitat preference. The few specimens have been taken mainly in coastal habitat in Brunei.

Biology. The species has been reared from Casuarina equisetifolia in Brunei, one of the major components of coastal strand forest.

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