Darna sybilla ( Swinhoe, 1903 )

Wu, Jun & Han, Hui-Lin, 2023, New species and records of Paroxyplax Cai, 1984 (Lepidoptera: Limacodidae) and its allies from China, with a checklist of the treated genera, Zootaxa 5254 (3), pp. 383-397 : 393-394

Darna sybilla ( Swinhoe, 1903)

Figures 29, 33

Thosea sybilla Swinhoe, 1903 , Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (7): 502. Type locality: “ Siam, Muok-Lek, 1000 feet ” [ Thailand]. Lectotype: male, in NHMUK, designated by Solovyev & Witt, 2009: 190.

Material examined. 1 male, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Mengla County, Menglun Town , 8.VIII.2018, leg. HL. Han, J. Wu & MR. Li, genit. prep. WuJ-146-1, coll. NEFU ; 1 male, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Pu’er City, Manxieba , 3.VIII.2018, leg. HL. Han, J. Wu & MR. Li, genit. prep. WuJ-241-1, coll. NEFU ; 1 male, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Shidian County, Jiucheng Township , 11.XI.2020, leg. J. Wu, JJ. Fan, MR. Li & G. Fu, genit. prep. WuJ-493-1, coll. NEFU .

Diagnosis. Externally D. sybilla (Fig. 29) is similar to its congener D. metaleuca ( Walker, 1862) (Fig. 30), but the black mark in the distally costal margin of forewing is small, inconspicuous; in the male genitalia (Fig. 33), the valva is narrower than the latter, and the costal process is slender rather than short and stout as in D. metaleuca (Fig. 34).

It is also similar to O. sordida (Fig. 25) externally, the difference is that the forewing pattern of this species is usually more unicolorous; in male genitalia, the uncus is divided into two balloon-shaped parts, the gnathos is slender, and the shape of costal process are diagnostic.

Bionomics. The specimens were collected at southern and western Yunnan in August and November, the collecting sites are usually close to the tropical or subtropical rainforests.

Distribution. China (Yunnan), Thailand, Vietnam.

Remarks. This species is reported for the first time from China.