Eudocima homaena (Hübner, [1823])

Borth, Robert J. & Kons, Hugo L., 2022, Mitochondrial genetics of Ophiderini, with a new species from the Eudocima phalonia species group (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Calpinae), Zootaxa 5148 (1), pp. 1-151 : 16

Eudocima homaena (Hübner, [1823])

( Figs 8 : I–J, L, 18: M–N, 24: A–D, 30: M–N, 93: B, 94: G–I)

This species could be confused with E. iridescens as discussed under that species (above). It can be separated from E. caesar and E. iridescens by the hindwing fringe, which is checkered black and orange in E. homaena and black in E. caesar and E. iridescens ( Zilli et al. 2017) . Eudocima homaena always has a comma shaped medial patch but this is rounder when present in E. caesar . It is allopatric with E. caesar and widespread from India and Sri Lanka eastward to Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores and Timor ( Zilli et al. 2017).

Specimens from Sumba Island ( Fig. 8 : L) and Malaysia ( Fig. 24 : D) have the typical homaena hindwings and abdomen, but the forewings are more similar to E. iridescens than material we have examined from elsewhere. The transverse green forewing band is narrower than typical homaena , and similar to the band of iridescens . E. homaena usually has a small finger-like extension on the anterior side of the green band, extending anteriorly to touch the posterior side of the reniform, whereas in E. iridescens the transverse green band touches the posterior side of the reniform without this extension. The specimen from Sumba Island is like E. iridescens for this character, whereas in the specimen from Malaysia the finger-like extension is also absent, but the green band barely touches the reniform– only at the posterior corner on the basal side. The specimen from Malaysia comes out at the base of the E. homaena clade with the COI 5’ analysis, followed by the Sumba Island specimen in the second basal position ( Fig. 83 ).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Eudocima kinabaluenis and Eudocima homaena group adults (dorsal aspect).

FIGURE 24. Eudocima adults (dorsal aspect).

FIGURE 83. Strict consensus tree from a parsimony analysis of Calpinae COI 5’ mtDNA sequences (part): Eudocima clade (part).