Rondotia menciana Moore, 1885

Wang, Xing, Wang, Min, Zolotuhin, Vadim V., Hirowatari, Toshiya, Wu, Shipher & Huang, Guo-Hua, 2015, The fauna of the family Bombycidae sensu lato (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea) from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hainan Islands, Zootaxa 3989 (1), pp. 1-138 : 23

9. Rondotia menciana Moore, 1885 ( FIGURES 7 A, 8A)

Rondotia menciana Moore, 1885 , Annals and Magazine of Natural History 15 (5): 492. TL: “Province of Chehkiang [= Zhejiang], N. China ” (BMNH) [examined].

Rondotia lurida Fixsen, 1887 , Mémoires sur les Lépidoptères 3: 346, pl. 15, fig. 8.. TL: Korea. Type in ZISP [examined].

Diagnosis. Distinguished from the other two species by the following characters: forewing yellow with antemedial and postmedial lines sinuate; medial line crescent-shaped with apex edged black; hindwing yellow, tornus edged with black; aedeagus bent near base.

Specimens examined. [SHANGDONG] 3 males, 5.IX.1925 (MWM); 1 male, 9.IX. [1925] (MWM); 2 males, Tsingtau (Qingdao) (ZFMK); 1 Male, Schantung (Shandong), Miss.-Mus. Steyl (ZFMK); [JIANGSU] Yangzhou City: 1 male, campus of Yangzhou University, 1.VII.2006, Yu-Zhou Du leg. (SCAU); 5 males, Soochow (Suzhou)- Berge, Prov. Kiangsu (Jiangsu), 28.VII.1929, H. Höne leg. (ZFMK); [ANHUI] Huangshan County: 5 males and 3 females, Houxi Town, larvae collected on 29.VI.2009 and bred to adults by Guo-Hua Huang (HUNAU); [HUNAN] Changsha City: 4 males and 1 female, Donghu Town, larvae collected on 18.VI.2014 and bred to adults by Guo-Hua Huang, (HUNAU); [GUANGDONG] Guangzhou City: 1 male, campus of South China University, 2.VII.2014, Xing Wang leg. (HUNAU); 6 males, Syoziro Asahina’s collection, donation, 1998 (NSMT).

Bionomics. Morus spp. have been reported as the larval host (Zhu & Wang, 1996). The adults are on the wing from June to September (Plate 3G). The larvae are white with numerous black dots on the body (Plate 3H). The pupa is enclosed in pale yellow cocoon (Plate 4A–4B).

Distribution. Mainland China (Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hebei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shannxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan) and Hainan, India, North Korea, South Korea, Japan.

Remarks. This species is a very important pest to the sericulture industry in China, this species. Over 50 papers on its biological characters and ecological control have been published in China (e.g. Dai et al., 1988; Xu et al., 1994). The flavonoids from its cocoon were reported on in detail by Hirayama et al. (2013).

10. Rondotia diaphana ( Hampson, [1893]) ( FIGURES 7 B, 8B)

Ectrocta diaphana Hampson, [1893] , Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma Moths 1: 33, fig. 18. TL: [ Myanmar] “Momeit, Burma ”. Syntypes: (BMNH) [examined].

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other two species by the following characters: forewing white with many dark and pale gray fasciae; antemedial line arched and submarginal line wavy, the shade between the postmedial lines broader; medial line short and straight; outer margin edged with pale gray; hindwing with postmedial line broader and sinuate; outer margin edged with pale gray; aedeagus bent at 1/3 distance from apex.

Specimens examined. [JIANGXI] Guixi County (Mt. Wuyishan): 1 male and 1 female, Jiangxi-Fujian border, 50 km southeast of Yingtan, 1600 m, 27˚56’N, 117˚25’E, June 2002, Siniaev & local collector leg. (MWM); [GUANGDONG] Ruyuan County (Nanling National NR): 2 males, about 400 m altitude, 16.VI.2004, Min Wang & Guo-Hua Huang leg. (SCAU); [GUANGXI] Xing’an County (Mao’ershan National NR): 1 male, about 400 m altitude, 1.VII.2003, Guo-Hua Huang & De-Yu Xin leg. (SCAU);

Bionomics. Adults fly during the day in June and July. Larval host unknown.

Distribution. Mainland China (Jiangxi-Fujian border, Guangdong, Guangxi), South Korea, Myanmar.

Remarks. This species was listed from Ichang and 30 miles north of Ichang, China by Leech (1898) and in 2003–2004, was collected in Mao’ershan NR in Guangxi Province and Nanling NR in Guangdong Province ( Wang et al., 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Adult males of Rondotia spp. A. R. menciana (Jiangsu); B. R. diaphana (Guangxi); C. R. lineata (Sichuan).