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Hexafrenum
Matsumura
Hexafrenum nigricollaris Holloway
comb. n.
Allodonta
nigricollaris Holloway,
1976: 57, fig. 376.
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Hexafrenum nigricollaris 
(holotype)
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Diagnosis. There is a bluish-black tone to the forewing; the costal and dorsal
cream markings on the postmedial stand out distinctly, the dorsal marking
including white dots. The markings are generally more irregular than in the next
species.
Taxonomic notes. The species is very similar in genitalia and facies to apicalis Kiriakoff
from Sumatra. The forewing yellow subapical and subtornal markings are more
pronounced, the forewing generally more mottled and the zone of prominence of
the dark antemedial just posterior to the orbicular is bilobed rather than
monolobed. In the male genitalia the valves are not so broadened apically and
their costal spines are relatively smaller; the gnathal processes taper evenly
rather than narrowing abruptly at one third; the uncus is longer with the
bifurcation smaller, not angled exteriorly, subbasally; the dorsal apical
process of the aedeagus is deeper, the ventral one subapically swollen.
The genus Allodontina Kiriakoff (1974: 409) was proposed to
distinguish two tropical Oriental species from Allodonta Staudinger, of
which the type species is the Korean plebeja Oberthur. Perhaps the most
distinctive characteristics of Allodontina species are the long processes
dorsally and ventrally at the aedeagus apex, though these are weak in species
such as collaris Swinhoe. Examination of several Oriental taxa in Allodonta
sensu Kiriakoff (1968) and Allodontina has indicated that the name Allodonta
Staudinger should be restricted to plebeja and all other Oriental
taxa are best placed in Hexafrenum Matsumura, gen. rev., which is based
on the Taiwan species maculifer Matsumura and was placed as a junior
synonym of Allodonta by Kiriakoff (1968). Hexafrenum as recognised
here is defined by the long, slender, apically bifurcate uncus combined with the
presence of processes from the aedeagus apex in most species as well as general
facies similarities. It follows that Allodontina becomes a junior synonym
of Hexafrenum, syn. n. The taxon basipuncta Matsumura (Kiriakoff
1968, as bon. sp.) is regarded as a junior synonym of maculifer (Sugi
1979). The other species hereby combined with Hexafrenum are: H.
sikkima Moore comb. n., H. longivitta Gaede comb. n., H. collaris Swinhoe
comb. n., H. argillacea Kiriakoff (1963: 278) comb. n., H. apicalis Kiriakoff
(1974) comb. n., H. unicolor Kiriakoff (1974) comb. n.
Coreodonta coreana Matsumura is, from consideration of the male genitalia illustrated by
Sugi (1979: 44), probably a synonym of plebeja Oberthur, certainly a
congener, therefore Coreodonta Matsumura, based on coreana, must
be regarded as synonym of Allodonta Staudinger, syn. n. Kiriakoff, in the
Palaearctic volume (1967) of his treatment of Notodontidae in Genera
Insectorum, placed Coreodonta as a synonym of Takodonta Matsumura,
a synonymy which should be reexamined.
Geographical range. Borneo.
Habitat preference. The species was taken frequently from 1000 - 2000 m
on G. Kinabalu and at about 1700 m in upper montane forest on G. Mulu.
Biology. The larva of Hexafrenum sikkima was illustrated by Issiki (1969).
It is pale emerald green, sparsely haired, with lateral double red stripes on
the head and a red dorsal stripe that is partly green between humped prominences
at the anterior and posterior end of the abdominal section.
Sugi & Nakatomi (1969) gave Castanea (Fagaceae) as the
primary Japanese host-plant of sikkima, but noted that the species also
fed on several other genera in the Fagales.
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