Ampelophaga obliquifascia Hampson, 1910, J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 87. Type locality: [India, Meghalaya,] Khasia Hills [Khasi Hills].
Note. According to Haxaire, Melichar & Manjunatha (2021), this species has an incredible level of variation in the male genital armature, in particular in the shape of the apical processes of the phallus and harpe. However, unlike in Dahira rubiginosa, the variation in Dahira obliquifascia 'seems' to follow a biogeographical logic, although it must be used with extreme care, and in its entirety. In addition, DNA barcode analysis shows clear separation of the populations from Taiwan, southeast China, northeast India and mainland South East Asia. As in Dahira rubiginosa, Haxaire, Melichar & Manjunatha (2021) accept that this separation makes biogeographical sense and treat these four groups as subspecies. Names for two already existed in the synonymy, and these were revalidated. They describe a third, South East Asian subspecies, as new, namely Dahira obliquifascia siamensis Melichar & Haxaire, 2021. In this taxon, all specimens from South East Asia that Haxaire, Melichar & Manjunatha (2021) examined have the apical plate of the end of the phallus more flattened and more strongly serrated, compared with the nominotypical Indian population. Also, there is, on average, a 2% divergence in their DNA barcodes from Dahira obliquifascia obliquifascia and Dahira obliquifascia huangshana. The adult moths are statistically larger and more slender than those of Dahira obliquifascia huangshana. Their coloration is more shimmering, but without reaching the level of contrast of the moths of northern India.
Note. Jiang, Xu, Lin, Liu, Wang & Hu, 2025, recorded the nominotypical subspecies, Dahira obliquifascia obliquifascia, in China (SE Xizang/Tibet) for the first time, with DNA barcoding confirming the identification. Also, in the male genitalia the apical plate of the phallus has a much thinner and longer lateral projection than in the other subspecies. However, it should be noted that the subspecies of Dahira obliquifascia are all very similar in appearance and it is not easy to distinguish them without detailed locality information (Jiang, Xu, Lin, Liu, Wang & Hu, 2025).
Wingspan: 70mm. In the male, head, thorax, and abdomen with dorsal surface purplish-brown with dark brown hairs, ventral surface ochreous. Forewing triangular and elongated, with a sharply pointed apex and smoothly curved outer margin; distal portion of the inner margin slightly concave. Forewing upperside ground colour purplish-grey, with a basal area marked by brown crackle patterns, a black discal spot, and two black zigzag lines in the medial area. A broad blackish-brown band extends from the middle of the costa to the outer margin at the end of vein M3, expanding into a large triangular patch that nearly reaches the tornus. An ochreous lunule, scattered with yellow, present near the apex, with two additional ochreous lunules on the submarginal area below veins CuA1 and CuA2. The ground color transitions from the middle of the costa to a greyish tone near the apex. The underside is ochreous with a dark brown internodiscoidal area and six faint dark greyish zigzag lines in the postmedial area; a yellow subapical lunule and two postmedian marks are present below veins CuA1 and CuA2. The hindwing upperside uniformly black-brownish; underside ochreous with the inner area greyish and the marginal area brownish, featuring three indistinct dark greyish zigzag lines in the marginal region (Jiang, Xu, Lin, Liu, Wang & Hu, 2025).
In the male genitalia the uncus and gnathos form a typical Macroglossini 'bird-beak' structure, with the uncus slightly curved and bearing a minute apical hook. The gnathos is thicker than the uncus, terminating in fine apical teeth. The sacculus is slender, tapering into a sharp, slightly upward-directed apical lobe. The phallus is short and straight, ending in a bilobed apical process; one lobe is short and broad with marginal spines, while the other is slenderer with an apically dentate edge (Jiang, Xu, Lin, Liu, Wang & Hu, 2025).
Inhabits middle to high elevation (1200-2500m) evergreen broad-leaf forest.
China: 24.v.2024 (Nyingchi/Linzhi, Xizang/Tibet).
OVUM: Unknown.
LARVA: Unknown.
PUPA: Unknown.
Larval hostplants. Unknown.
Unknown.
China: Xizang/Tibet (Nyingchi/Linzhi, Namjagbarwa region).
Nepal, northeast India (Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram), and just into southern Xizang/Tibet, China.
[Dahira obliquifascia siamensis Melichar & Haxaire, 2021, occurs in Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam (Le & Vu, 2024) and Peninsular Malaysia, and just into Yunnan, China (Menglian County, Kabieke Shan; Menghai County, Xishuangbanna). Dahira obliquifascia huangshana (Meng, 1982) occurs across southeasten mainland China (Haxaire, Melichar & Manjunatha, 2021). Dahira obliquifascia baibarana (Matsumura, 1927) is confined to Taiwan.]
Map: Global distribution of Dahira obliquifascia obliquifascia (© Jiang, Xu, Lin, Liu, Wang & Hu, 2025).
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