''Platyja umbrina'' is a species of noctuoid moth of the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family (biology), family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwin ...

Subspecies

*''Platyja umbrina umbrina'' *''Platyja umbrina rufiscripta'' (Sundaland)

Characteristics

There is a significant

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

between the male and the female moths of this species. The wings are highly modified in the males. The abdomen extends well beyond the

hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

s and has a conspicuous black tuft apically that arises from the valves of the genitalia. The wings are a uniform dark brown above, sometimes grade slightly paler at the margin, but rarely with the blue irroration of the typical mainland Asian race. The females are more typical of the genus in facies, with the strongly looped postmedial much more clearly delineated on the

forewing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

, and with conspicuous, more or less straight submarginals that delimit a paler marginal zone. There is some variation, with uniform brown forms, and more variegated ones with extensive ochreous areas marginally and between the antemedial and submarginal on the forewing. There has been some confusion in the past about the identity of the female of ''P. umbrina''.Holloway, 1982; Sugi, 1982; Zilli, 2001 On the basis of concordance of geography and altitude range, and a comparable sexual dimorphism in the Sulawesi representative of the group, the original suggestion by

Willie Horace Thomas Tams Willie Horace Thomas "Tiger" Tams (1891–1980) was a Great Britain, British entomologist. Biography Tams was an assistant to John Stanley Gardiner at the University of Cambridge and joined the board of the Linnean Society of London in 1913. Du ...

(1924) and

Joseph de Joannis Joseph de Joannis (6 June 1864 La Meignanne, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire – 27 October 1932 Paris) was a French clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious tra ...

(1929) that the taxon ''P. umbrina rufiscripta'' is based on the female of ''P. umbrina'' is considered correct. Platyja umbrina rufiscripta

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the north-eastern parts of the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

and

Sundaland Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of Southeast Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It inc ...

. The species is infrequent in lowland forests.

References

External links

The Moths of Borneo
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7202614 Erebidae Moths of Borneo Moths described in 1842