Lophoptera illucida (Walker, 1865)

Figs. 60–71, 118, 145, 171

Stictoptera illucida Walker, 1865b, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 33: 918. Syntypes: [India]: Hindostan (BMNH).

Noctua abortiva Herrich-Schäffer, 1869, Sammlung neuer oder wenig Bekannter Aussereuropäischer Schmetterlinge, 2 (1): 4.

Lophoptera illucida: Hampson, 1912, Cat. Lepid. Phal. Br. Mus., 11: 182.

Lophoptera plumbeola Chen et al., 1991, The Noctuids Fauna of Xizang: 298, pl. 18: 8 (nec Hampson, 1912)

Lophoptera apirtha Chen, 1999, Fauna Sinica (Insecta), 16: 953, pl. 43: 19. (nec Swinhoe, 1900)

Diagnosis. This species is highly polymorphic by wing pattern. Forewing with greyish-yellow to black semicircular or inverted V-shaped patch in the mid part of the anal margin, its shape is very variable, sometimes reduced to black semicircular dot. In the male genitalia, the uncus is thick and long; the valva is long and narrow, with beaklike apex; the costa with a stick-like process in mid part; the saccus is inverted triangular, its basal part is slightly expanded. In the female genitalia, the post-ostial invagination is long, about twice length of the lateral lobe; the appendix bursae is same size as the corpus bursae.

Material examined. CHINA, Hainan: 8 males, 17 females, Jianfengling, 7–16.VI.1973, coll. Chen Yixin and Liang Jinglian; 1 male, 5 females, Jianfengling, 24.III.1982, 6–11.V.1982, 3.VI.1982, coll. Chen Zhiqing et al.; 1 female, Jianfengling, 811.9 m, 23.III.2008, coll. Wu Chunsheng; 2 females, Diaoluoshan, 8.V.1984, 16.VI.1973, coll. Gu Maobin and Chen Yixin (IZCAS). Guangxi: 6 males, 1 female, Fangcheng, Fulong, 350–550 m, 23– 26.V.1999, coll. Liu Dajun, Zhang Yanzhou, Li Wenzhu, Yuan Decheng (IZCAS). Tibet: 1 male, Nylam, 2250 m, 20.IV.1974, coll. Zhang Xuezhong (IZCAS). Yunnan: 1 male, Jinping, 2000 m, 18.V.2006, coll. Cui Jianxin (CAU).

Distribution. China (Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet), Korea, India, Vietnam, Burma, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia.

Remarks. Because of this species is greatly variable in forewing patterns, it has been identified as many other species in China. In this study, we re-identified the specimens in the collection IZCAS and found that Lophoptera plumbeola Hampson, 1912 (= L. apirtha (Swinhoe, 1900)) recorded by Chen et al. (1991) and L. apirtha recorded by Chen (1999) are misidentifications of Lophoptera illucida (Walker, 1865), so the misidentified species are not distributed in China.

Biological notes. The larval host plants were recorded as Shorea robusta (Sevastopulo 1941; Zhang 1994) and Hopea wightiana (Dipterocarpaceae) (Bell & Scott 1937).