Donda Moore, 1882

Behounek, G., Han, H. L. & V. S. Kononenko, 2012, A revision of the genus Donda Moore, 1882 with description of two species from East Asia (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae: Pantheinae). Revision of Pantheinae, contribution V, Zootaxa 3582, pp. 37-47 : 38

Genus Donda Moore, 1882

Donda Moore, 1882 , in Hewitson & Moore, Description of new Indian Lepidopterous Insects from the Collection of the Late Mr W.S. Atkinson: 161. Type-species: Dandaca eurychlora Walker, 1858 , List of the Specimens of lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 15: 1670, by original designation. Type: male, [ India]: Hindustan, Canara (BMNH).

References: Nye 1975: 163 (Catocalinae); Poole 1989: 326 ( Ophiderinae ); Kobes 1992: 85 (transferring to Pantheinae ); Holloway 2009: 16 ( Pantheinae ).

Taxonomic notes. The genus was treated by early authors in Catocalinae or Ophiderinae , until Kobes (1992) placed Donda , Belciana Walker, 1862 and Trisula Moore, 1858 to Pantheinae . Holloway reviewed Donda and related genera in Pantheinae . The genus is included to Belciana generic group, which comprises genera Donda , Belciana , Belciades Kozhanchikov, 1950, Diphteroides Bethune-Baker, 1906 and some yet undescribed taxa.

In the World Noctuidae Catalogue Poole (1989) listed in the genus four species primary described in Donda or placed to the genus by Hampson (1894) ( D. ornata Moore, 1883 , D. striatovirens Moore, 1883 , D. thoracica Moore, 1882 and D. sailendra Kobes, 1982 ) and transferred to Donda the taxon Polydesma (Belciades) lichenoides Hampson, 1894 . The status and taxonomic positions of ‘ D’. ornata and ‘D’. lichenoides are still unclear; ‘ D’. striatovirens is treated by subsequent authors (Speidel & Kononenko 1998; Holloway 2009) as ‘ Belciana’; the taxonomic position of D. thoracica was not revised yet. We exclude the last two species from Donda ; these taxa and the allied species will be revised in one of the subsequent articles of the series. In fact, this group represents a genus distinct from Donda and Belciana and to be described later. Kobes (1992) placed Belciana kala to Donda , however this taxon with its allies also represents a distinct group, which will be revise in the next item of the series.