FAMILY NOTODONTIDAE
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Gargetta costigeroides sp. n


Gargetta costigeroides (holotype)


25 mm. The facies is as illustrated, the forewing being very similar to that of costigera Walker and differing from that of hampsoni in being broader, with a black discal streak and greater variegation and speckling distally. The male genitalia have the long, ampullate gnathal processes of costigera but the uncal processes are broad and rounded rather than acute (or spined) and asymmetric. The harpe on the valve is single rather than bilobed.

Holotype BRUNEI: Ulu Temburong Expedition 1978, Base Camp [Lower Temburong] 350 m, MV light, 25. x. 1978 (T. W. Harman), BM notodontid slide 1182.

Geographical range. Borneo, only known from holotype.

Biology. The life history is unknown but possibly similar to that of costigera Walker (Bell MS). The larva is of typical Gargetta type with a resting posture and behaviour on alarm as in the previous species. It walks in a ‘semi-looper’ manner. The head is distinctly bilobed, squarish, light greyish-brown, speckled with black. The body is light brown with thin, paler, but dark-edged bands. The second abdominal segment and, to a lesser extent, the eighth, bears a transverse, spindle-shaped protruberance which has yellow-centred black spots at its extremities. Another variant was greyer with black bordered yellow bands and with pink extremities to the 'spindles'. Pupation is in a silken cell in the earth or in leaf litter. The larvae are often heavily parasitised.

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