ACOSMERYX ANCEUS SUBDENTATA Rothschild & Jordan, 1903

Female Acosmeryx anceus subdentata. Photo: © BMNH Male Acosmeryx anceus subdentata. Photo: © BMNH

TAXONOMY

Acosmeryx anceus subdentata Rothschild & Jordan, 1903, Novit. zool. 9 (suppl.): 528. Type locality: [India,] Sikhim [Sikkim]; [India, Meghalaya,] Cherrapunji; [India, Meghalaya,] Khasia Hills [Khasi Hills]; Bhutan; [Indonesia,] Sumatra [Sumatera]; [Indonesia,] Java [Jawa].


ADULT DESCRIPTION AND VARIATION

Adult Acosmeryx anceus subdentata, Yexianggu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway.

Wingspan: 70--88mm


ADULT BIOLOGY


FLIGHT-TIME

China: v (Yunnan).


EARLY STAGES

OVUM:

LARVA: Full-fed 90--95mm long, 10mm wide. According to Bell & Scott (1937), in the final instar head round, body of the same shape as others of the genus. Horn down-curved, cylindrical to near tip, then narrowing abruptly to a short point; shiny, covered with small, flattened, pear-shaped tubercles. Head glaucous-green, tubercles white. Body green with short dark green longitudinal stripes above the flange. The dorso-lateral stripe, which extends from segment 2 to the base of the horn, is narrow and yellow on segment 2 to 5, broad and white on 6 to 12, and edged narrowly above by plum-colour, more broadly below by pink on 6 to 12. The flange is edged broadly with yellow on segments 2 and 3, and the anterior half of 4, but with brownish-maroon on the rest of 4 and 5. There are yellowish-green oblique lateral stripes on 6 to 11. Horn reddish-brown; true legs dark reddish-brown; anal flap edged with yellow. Spiracles white, the slit black and edged on each side with black, the whole with a shiny black rim (Bell & Scott, 1937).


Fourth instar larva of Acosmeryx anceus subdentata, Yexianggu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway. Final instar larva of Acosmeryx anceus subdentata, Yexianggu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway.

PUPA: 48mm.


Pupa of Acosmeryx anceus subdentata, Yexianggu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway. Pupa of Acosmeryx anceus subdentata, Yexianggu, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China. Photo: © Tony Pittaway.

Larval hostplants. Leea, Cayratia, Cissus and Vitis (Inoue, Kennett & Kitching, [1996] 1997).


PARASITOIDS


LOCAL DISTRIBUTION

China: Yunnan (Changning Co., Songzhishanding, 2800m; Xishuangbanna Co., Yexianggu).


GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Southern and eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, southwestern China (Yunnan), Vietnam, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sarawak), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sumbawa), the Philippines.


Global distribution of Acosmeryx anceus subdentata. Map: © BMNH.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFILIATION



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© A.R. Pittaway & I.J. Kitching (The Natural History Museum, London)