Lepidoptera Science

The Bornean specimen of Mycalesjs mineus Linnaeus has hitherto been treated as belonging to M. m. macromalayana Fruhstorfer, occurring in Malaya, Singapore and Sumatra. The authors have had some doubts about this handling. After a careful study of the Bornean specimens, the authors regarded them as a distinct subspecies.

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The role of photoperiod as a factor involved in the induction of larval diapause and the occurrence of diapausing form in Sasakia charonda Hewitson was studied. It was proved that this species is not an inherently univoltine but an multivoltine one and that a factor determining the voltinism is photoperiodic conditions in the larval period. Larvae submitted to photophases longer than 14 hours, became non-diapausing and produced the second generation, hence, this species is one of the butterflies with a 'long-day type' development. Under room-temperature condition critical day-lengths for inducing larval diapause and producing diapausing form at fourth or fifth instar were estimated around 13 hr. and 45 mm., and 14 hr., respectively. The occurrence of diapausing form, however, is not directly connected with diapause itself and diapasuing form is easily eliminated on treatment of long-day photoperiod. These phenomena allow the conception of pre-diapause and real diapause stage and are assumed to be of great ecological significance. On the other hand, browning of body colour, which may also be due to photoperiodic reaction, must be considered to be closely bound up with diapause since the larvae in non-diapausing form even change body colour before wintering. From the present data, it follows that the larvae should hibernate in the stage of fourth or fifth instar in the greater part of the habitat and that hibernation in the third instar is to be restricted only in, probably, cold regions.

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In the present paper Aetherastis Meyrick is placed as a new synonym of Comocritis Meyrick, and a new species of Comocritis is described from Formosa. The genus Comocritis is recorded from Formosa for the first time. I am much indebted to Dr. Syuti Issiki, Professor Emeritus of University of Osaka Prefecture, Mr. Mamoru Owada, of University of Osaka Prefecture, and Dr. Klaus Sattler and Mr. Paul E. S. Whalley, both of the British Museum (Natural History), for allowing me to study the examples dealt with in this paper.

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Through the courtesy of Professor S. Issiki, I have been able to examine a male and a female specimen of a Formosan Yponomeutid species belonging to the genus Anthonympha. The species is described as new in this paper and I take this opportunity of stating that the genus Anthoojnnpha is redefined from a study of the new species. Before going further, I wish to express my hearty thanks to Dr. Syuti Issiki, Emeritus Professor of University of Osaka Prefecture, for permitting me to study interesting specimens in his private collection.

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