DISTRIBUTION:

Loepa sikkima (wingspan: males: 73-78mm; females: approx. 80mm) ranges from north east Himalayas: India: (TL: Sikkim),
Nepal,
probably ?? Bhutan,
Myanmar,
to Sundaland and also flies in Thailand: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Surat Thani; and
Laos,
Vietnam and
Malaysia.

Roger Kendrick reports it as being uncommon in Hong Kong.

Diagnosis. As pointed out by Jeremy Holloway, the broad pink zone to the subbasal fascia of the forewing is distinctive, turning in to the thorax and abdomen before reaching the inner margin.

Loepa sikkima, Chiang Mai, Thailand, courtesy of John Moore.

In the Greater Sunda islands of Sumatra, the TL of ssp. javanica MELL, 1938 and Java, it is replaced by Lopea sikkima javanica.

Taxonomic notes. Holloway (1982) attributed material from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java to sikkima on genitalic grounds but stated that the rufous suffusion of typical sikkima was lacking. The course of the subbasal fascia on the forewing is directed towards the thorax posteriorly in sikkima but towards the dorsum in katinka. The name javanica Mell may be applicable to this Sundanian taxon, but the type needs to be checked.

L. katinka has a rather broad vesica with two small lobes and a weak, obtuse cornutus half way to the apex; the aedeagus apex has a small process with several small spines. A Sumatran insect may be related or conspecific. Sundanian specimens referred to sikkima here share the following genitalic features with typical Himalayan specimens:
undulation of the ventral margin of the valve apex;
a narrow, monolobed aedeagus vesica;
a basal, heavily sclerotised, acute cornutus either on an extension of the aedeagus apex sclerotisation into the vesica (Sundaland) or as a more distal, more acute, independent spine (typical).

Loepa sikkima, Vietnam,
courtesy of Victor Siniaev of Russia, via Yuri Berezhnoi

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

In Hong Kong larvae feed on Saurauia (Actinidaceae). Additional larval hosts are Cissus (Vitidaceae) and Leea (Leeaceae). Moths are on the wing January, May, June and September.

In Thailand there are reports for April-May, August and October.

Loepa sikkima female, Laos, September, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti

Loepa sikkima pair, Laos, September, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females, which are larger than males, with a convex forewing margin, extend a scent gland from the tip of the abdomen to release a pheromone into the night sky. Males (straight forewing outer margin) fly into the wind to pickup and track the pheromone.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

The Javan larva is pale green with numerous darker spots and, on each segment, a series of scoli: two short ones below the spiracles from T1 to A2, single ones thereafter; dorsally four long ones on each abdominal segment to A8; on the thoracic segments there are humps over the dorsal surface. The later instars are dark reddish or black with red scoli. The lateral triangular patches are small, whitish yellow. Second instar larva to the right.

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Cissus Leea Saurauia......

Grape Leea Saurauia

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On my home computer only: notes on Saturniidae of Bhutan by Ronald Brechlin (in English) as published in Entomo-Satsphingia 2 (1): 47 – 55 (March 2009)

The actual hardcopy editions of Entomo-Satsphingia may be purchased via the link to the left.

NEVA_29_149_NAUMANN_NAESSIG.PDF