Microlophia sculpta Felder, R., [1874], in Felder, Felder & Rogenhofer, Reise öst. Fregatte Novara (Zool.) 2 (Abt. 2): pl. 75, fig. 9. Type locality: Siam [Thailand].
Wingspan: 50--70mm.
OVUM: Broadly ovoid (1.8 x 1.6mm), surface smooth and shiny to the naked eye, but under the microscope seen to be covered with small shallow, irregular pits. Hatch after about five days (Bell & Scott, 1937).
LARVA: Full-fed 70mm; width 11mm.; horn 9mm. In the first instar, head broad and round; body nearly cylindrical and of smaller diameter than head. Horn very long, straight, bifid, the two arms short, conical, diverging at right angles to each other, each arm bearing a small hair. Surface of the head and body smooth and dull; horn shiny, smooth for the distal half, the rest tuberculate covered densely with minute hairs with two or three branches. Colour of head and body very pale honey-colour; horn black. In the second instar, shape as in the first instar. Surface of head and body dull; head and body, in addition to the main hairs, closely covered with forked hairs. Head dark green; body pale green dotted with white. There is a large black dot on the front margin of segment 6, and small dots on front margins of 5, 7 and 8, all on the dorsal line. There is a very sharply defined dorso-lateral white stripe from middle of segment 2 to base of horn. Latter black, the sides of base green. By the third instar, body of greater diameter than head; horn of medium length, slightly up-curved, bifid. Surface of head and body dull and smooth. Forked hairs as in the second instar. Colour of head dark green; body paler green dotted with white; black dorsal spots as in second instar. The dorso-lateral stripe narrow and faint on the anterior segments, broad and well defined on the posterior segments. There is also a dark, narrow dorsal stripe from segment 7 to base of horn. Basal half of horn fuscous-green, distal half first pale yellow, then black. The spiracle on segment 6 larger than the rest and surrounded by a narrow black circle. In the fourth instar, head small and round; body tapering sharply frontad from segment 6; horn straight, minutely bifid. Colour as in third instar except that the dots are yellow instead of white. Dorso-lateral stripe yellow on 11 and 12. There are some indistinct darkish oblique lateral stripes; spiracles white edged with black on each side, that on 6 larger than the rest and surrounded by bluish, outside which is a narrow circle of black. Horn green, base paler and tip black (Bell & Scott, 1937).
In the final instar, head round; true clypeus over one-third length of head, equilaterally triangular; false clypeus reaching to one-half length of head, apex very broadly rounded; labrum half as long as clypeus; ligula rather longer than labrum and not quite so broad, kidney-shaped with narrow lobes. Surface of head dull, covered with minute, shiny, conical tubercles; labrum longitudinally furrowed. Body tapering sharply frontad from segments 5 to 2, the latter being of about the same diameter as the head; rest of body nearly cylindrical. Horn stout, tapering evenly to a sharp point, and sharply down-curved. Surface of body dull and smooth except for some small scattered tubercles on segment 2 and anal flap. The subspiracular hair on segment 6 to 11 with a short stem branching into three arms, each arm dividing into two, and then again branched forming a horizontal fan. Horn covered with small, shiny, pointed tubercles directed distad (Bell & Scott, 1937).
In colour, head green, tubercles white. Labrum emerald green; ligula pink, the sinus edged with white; basal segment of antenna green, rest rose-colour; mandible green, tip broadly dark reddish-brown. Body green, segment 2 with a narrow saddle-like marking green, covered with minute white dots. Remaining segments with a transverse row of dots around each secondary ring, these dots white and very small on 3 and 4, larger on 5, larger still and yellow on 6 to 12. There is a dorso-lateral stripe from 2 to base of horn, which is very faint, whitish on l and 3, clearly defined and yellow on 4, very faint again on 5 and 6. On 7 to 10 the stripe is reddish-brown, broken near the hind margin of each segment and crescent-shaped on each segment, the lower, concave side of each crescent broadly suffused with chalky-white. On segment 11 the stripe is straight and becomes whitish again on 12 to base of horn. Spiracle of segment 6 lying in a longitudinally oval ocellus-like marking, blue round the spiracle, then yellowish, the whole edged narrowly with white and then black. Horn brown, the dorso-lateral stripe running up each side for a short distance. Legs translucent white, with a reddish-brown streak down the outer face of basal segment, end-segment kale rose-brown. Shank of prolegs green with reddish-purple distal border, ankles dull black, feet pinkish; claspers the same; anal flap edged with whitish. Spiracles dusky-white, more or less suffused with fuscous (Bell & Scott, 1937).
In the resting position the head and segments 2 and 3 are retracted into 4 which, together with 5, is swollen. The larva is sluggish and moves in a jerky manner. Before pupation it turns livid slate-grey, the white markings turning yellow. Pupation takes place in a rough cocoon on the surface. This stage lasts about twenty-five days (Bell & Scott, 1937).
PUPA: 35mm; breadth 11mm. Colour pale ochreous; head and thorax suffused with brown and marbled with darker brown; wing-case suffused with pale brown, and with short, pale transverse lines. Fore and mid-leg banded with very dark brown, nearly black; a pale bracket-shaped marking on fore tibia. Abdomen marbled with dark brown, pinkish ventrally; hind bevels of segments 8 to 10 chocolate-brown. There is a brown interrupted ventral stripe and sculpturing on segment 4. Spiracles and cremaster black; ante-spiracular ridges rusty (Bell & Scott, 1937).
Stout in build, tapering sharply to head and to base of cremaster. Antenna slightly shorter than fore leg, which reaches to middle of wing-case, mid-leg to two-thirds length of wing-case; no coxal piece. Surface shiny. Head, thorax and wing-case obscurely lined in the manner of cracked lacquer. Abdomen very shallowly transversely corrugate; sculpturing on segment 4 in the form of a narrow, transverse, central ridge on each side of the dorsal line with a channel in front of and behind it. Ante-spiracular ridges in the form of seven (on segment 9) and six (on 10 and 11) short, parallel ridges. Spiracle of 2 a narrow slit lying between the raised hind margin of 2 and a short, rounded transverse lobe projecting from the front margin of 3. Remaining spiracles broadly oval, flush, the surface rising slightly to the central slit, which has raised edges. Cremaster a stout knob, ending in a short shaft set with five or six short hooks and some tubercles along the lateral edges based on each side; upper surface very rugose (Bell & Scott, 1937).
The pupa is active, squirming energetically when touched, and making a low rustling sound. This stage lasts about sixteen days.
Larval hostplants. Randia dumetorum (Rubiaceae) in India (Bell & Scott, 1937). [This plant is also known as Catunaregam spinosa, the validity of which is uncertain.]
China: Yunnan.
Southern and eastern India, Burma/Myanmar, southwestern China, Thailand, Vietnam.
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