Simplicia schaldusalis (Walker, [1859])

Raha, Angshuman, Sanyal, Abesh Kumar & Singh, Navneet, 2025, On the taxonomy of genus Simplicia Guenée, with a new species from India (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Herminiinae), Zootaxa 5631 (3), pp. 451-474 : 465-466

Simplicia schaldusalis (Walker, [1859])

( Fig. 26–27, 54–55)

Bocana schaldusalis Walker, [1859] , List Spec. Lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 16: 180. (TL: Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia) = Simplicia trilinea Bethune-Baker, 1908 , Novit. Zool., 15: 205. (TL: Dinawa, British New Guinea, Papua New Guinea)

Material examined: India, Arunachal Pradesh, Changlang Dist., Namdapha NP: 1 ♂, Deban FRH (27.49715ºN, 96.391416ºE, Alt. 345 m), 25.vi.17, J. Sainy & Party leg. West Bengal, Kalimpong Dist., Neora Valley NP: 2 ♂, Suntaleykhola (27º00.789'N, 88º47.094'E, Alt. 652 m), 27.ix.2018, P.C. Pathania leg.

Diagnosis: Forewing length: ♂ 19–21 mm. This is one of the largest Simplicia species having dark brown shading on the wings similar to S. bimarginata ( Figs. 1–6), S. griseolimbalis (discussed above) and S. brevicosta Prout, 1928 ( Holloway 2008: 121, pl. 5, f. 288). The males of S. schaldusalis ( Figs. 26, 27) and S. brevicosta have forewing costa slightly convex rather than concave as seen in the males of other two species. The paler marginal zone on forewing in S. schaldusalis is narrower than that in the other three species. The male genitalia of S. schaldusalis has the characteristic valva with a thumb like apical extension and a small, curved subapical costal spine, and broad, arcuate aedeagus with scobinated vesica having two distal diverticula ( Figs. 54, 55).

Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, West Bengal ( Kirti et al. 2017, present study). Global: China (South-west), Indonesia (Java, Moluccas, Sulawesi, Sumatra), Malaysia (Borneo, Brunei), Melanesia, Solomon Island, Thailand ( Holloway 2008; Kononenko & Pinratana 2013)

Remark: This is a rare species mostly inhabiting low altitude moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests ( Holloway 2008).