Mimeusemia ceylonica Hampson, 1893

Mimeusemia ceylonica Hampson, 1893 View in CoL

This was recorded for the first time at ACCC on 11 October 2020 at 20:02 h with a temperature minimum of 27.69 oC and maximum of 32.03 oC. It has wingspan about 35 mm. During the first record, no rain was recorded. The second time was recorded on 05 November 2021 at 19:08 h with a temperature minimum of 24.11 oC and a maximum of 33.1 oC. It has wingspan about 40mm. During the second record, the site received 4 mm of rain. Only a single individual was recorded during both periods and it is interesting to note that the records were made during the north-east monsoon season only. We opportunistically had a chance to see this species third time at Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary on 05 November 2022 at 20:40 h. But we did not find this species at ACCC on 2022 .

Species description ( figure 1 View Figure 1 )

Head and thorax black-brown; palpi at base and edge of 2 nd joint, frons and vertex of head pale yellow; patagia with yellow patches; pectus and legs orange, fore and mid tibiae with black spots, the tarsi banded with black; abdomen orange, with basal triangular black patch including the dorsal crests; sublateral yellowish-white antemedial spot in and below the cell; a medial point on subcostal nervure and an oblique patch from discal fold in cell to sub median fold; an oblique somewhat lunulate patch beyond the cell between veins 8 and 3; diffused silvery-blue streaks of scales below basal half of costa and above vein 1; a spot in middle of cell and discoidal bar; a postmedial line, interrupted in places, curved from costa to vein3, then strongly retracted; termen irrorated with silvery blue; cilia more or less white at apex and tornus. Hind wing with an orange patch on inner area, extending to beyond middle and at base to the costa; a somewhat quadrate yellowish-white spot beyond the cell, between veins 7 and 3; cilia more or less white-tipped at apex. exp. 44mm ( Hampson, 1901).

Mimeusemia ceylonica View in CoL differs from M.peshwa in the vertex of thorax being black; abdomen orange, with the basal segments black above; the fore wing with a small yellow spot at the upper angle of the cell. exp: 41 mm ( Hampson, 1894). Male: Allied to M. peshwa. Fore wing with the pale-yellow sub basal spot larger and extending well below the median nervure; a distinct spot on the subcostal nervure just beyond the middle of the cell; the marginal area bright chestnut. Hind wing with the bright yellow basal patch extending nearer the anal angle; the pale-yellow spot on the disk smaller. Thorax with the tegulae pale yellow, but with no streak on the vertex; abdomen without the black segmental bands ( Hampson, 1893).

Earlier distribution

Sri Lanka; Thirukonamalai