Toshiya Hirowatari

Effects of fires on butterfly assemblages in lowland dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan

The post‐fire butterfly fauna in lowland dipterocarp forest of the Bukit Soeharto Education Forest (BSEF), East Kalimantan, Indonesia, was assessed during the period November 1998–April 2000 by means of consecutive Malaise trap samples, with supplementary field observations for March–April 1999. A total of 514 butterflies belonging to 61 species and representing six families were caught in the traps. Melanitis leda (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), Charaxes bernardus (Nymphalidae: Charaxinae), and Danaus genutia (Nymphalidae: Danainae) were the species most frequently caught (60, 52 and 47 individuals, respectively), representing 31% of the total. These three species are generalists and “disturbance indicators” for tropical rainforest, being characteristic of disturbed or secondary forests, being distributed widely, and having larvae that feed on a wide range of host plants. In contrast, other species, such as Trogonoptera brookiana and Troides amphrysus, were recorded before the fires but were not recorded again afterwards. The pre‐ and post‐fire butterfly fauna of East Kalimantan were compared on the basis of butterfly specimens deposited in the Tropical Rain Forest Research Center that were collected in and around the Bukit Soeharto Education Forest before the fires (1988–1995). On the basis of the post‐fire survey, based on Malaise trap samples and field observations, only 43% of the butterfly species (not including Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae) were confirmed to have persisted. The data suggest that refugia that are not affected by fire are necessary for the conservation of specialist butterflies, as well as many other forms of wildlife.

The fauna of the family Bombycidae sensu lato (Insecta, Lepidoptera, Bombycoidea) from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hainan Islands.

Seventy-seven species of family Bombycidae s. lat., belonging to 25 genera in three subfamilies, that have been recorded from China are listed and described, with illustrations of the adults, preimaginal stages (if available), and their genitalia. Keys to subfamilies and genera are provided. Two new genera and four new species are described, two subgenera are raised to generic status, seven new combinations are made, and one genus and six species are newly recorded from China. The new taxa are as follows: Rotunda Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, gen. nov., Comparmustilia Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, gen. nov., Triuncina daii Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, sp. nov., Triuncina xiongi Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, sp. nov., Gnathocinara boi Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, sp. nov. and Promustilia yajiangensis Wang, X. & Zolotuhin, sp. nov. The taxa newly recorded for China are: Sesquiluna Forbes, 1955; Trilocha friedeli Dierl, 1978; Bivincula kalikotei Dierl, 1978; Sesquiluna forbesi Zolotuhin & Witt, 2009; Mustilizans lepusa Zolotuhin, 2007; Smerkata brechlini (Zolotuhin, 2007) and Mustilia castanea Moore, 1879. The seven new combinations are: Rotunda rotundapex (Miyata & Kishida, 1990), comb. nov., Triuncina nitida (Chu & Wang, L.Y., 1993), comb. nov., Gunda sesostris (Vuillot, 1893), comb. nov., Smerkata fusca (Kishida, 1993), comb. nov., Comparmustilia sphingiformis (Moore, 1879), comb. nov., Comparmustilia semiravida (Yang, 1995), comb. nov., Comparmustilia gerontica (West, 1932), comb. nov.. The two subgenera raised to generic level are: Promustilia Zolotuhin, 2007, stat. nov. and Smerkata Zolotuhin, 2007, stat. nov.. The distributions of the species in China were determined and distributional maps provided. All type specimens of the new species described here are deposited in the College of Plant Protection, Hunan Agricultural University, China (HUNAU); Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, China (SCAU); Kyushu University Museum, Kyushu University, Japan (KUM), and Entomological Museum Thomas J. Witt, Munich, Germany (MWM).

Genera and species of Baetidae in Japan: Nigrobaetis, Alainites, Labiobaetis, and Tenuibaetis n. stat. (Ephemeroptera)

We describe morphological characters of the genera Nigrobaetis, Alainites, Labiobaetis, and Tenuibaetis n. stat. and provide generic situations of six Japanese species: Nigrobaetis chocoratus n. comb., N. sacishimensis n. comb., Alainites atagonis, A. florens, A. yoshinensis, and Tenuibaetis pseudofrequentus. To evaluate the polarities of the morphological characters and the monophyly of Nigrobaetis, Alainites, Labiobaetis, and Tenuibaetis, character states of these four genera were compared with the genus Cloeon as an outgroup. Labiobaetis is considered to be a monophyletic group supported by a wide paraglossa. Tenuibaetis is a monophyletic group that is distinguishable from the related genera by robust setae with a medial ridge on the dorsomedian surface of the nymphal femur. We did not find any synapomorphic characters of Nigrobaetis or Alainites. Although we tentatively treat Nigrobaetis and Alainites as distinct genera, they are considered to be paraphyletic taxa.

Japanese species of the genus Amphiareus Distant (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae), with descriptions of two new species

Japanese species of the genus Amphiareus Distant of the lyctocorine flower bug are revised. Two new species, A. ruficollaris and A. ochraceus, are described and illustrated, and descriptions of three known species, A. constrictus (Stål), A. morimotoi (Hiura) and A. obscuriceps (Poppius), are revised. A key is provided to distinguish the Japanese species.

A taxonomic revision of the hoeneella species-group of the genus Nemophora Hoffmannsegg (Lepidoptera: Adelidae)

A group of very similar greyish to ochreous brown species of Nemophora Hoffmannsegg with raised scales on frons, narrow pale forewing fascia and epiphysis absent, is revised. Four species of this group, all distributed in South-Eastern Asia, are recognized: N. aritai sp. n. from Taiwan, N. marisella sp. n. from Amami Is., Japan, N. hoeneella (Caradja & Meyrick) comb. n. from continental China, and N. issikii sp. n. from Taiwan. The type series of N. hoeneella is discussed. The monophyly of the species-group is demonstrated and the tentative relationships of its species are discussed. A key to species based on external characters and male gcnitalia is provided; adults and male genitalia are described and illustrated.

True identity of the shiitake fungus moth, Morophagoides moriutii (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)

Morophagoides moriutii Robinson, 1986 is an important pest of the shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes. After dissecting the abdomen of the holotype of M. moriutii, we recognized that the male genitalia are apparently different from those of the paratype illustrated in the original description at the species level. To provide basic information to assist in the control of pests of the mushroom, we describe the general habitus and genitalia of the true M. moriutii for the first time. Our study also reveals that M. moriutii has a restricted distribution in Honshu and Shikoku, Japan, contrary to the previous belief that the species occurred more widely from Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu) to Taiwan. Although M. ussuriensis (Caradja in Deutsch Entomol Zeit 34:75–180, 1920) was formerly assigned to the Japanese representative of the genus Morophagoides, this was proved to be a misidentification by Robinson (Bull Br Mus Nat Hist (Ent) 52(2):37–181 1986) and he described it as a new species, M. moriutii. We have identified the true M. ussuriensis from Japan (Hokkaido, Aomori Pref. and Tsushima Is.) for the first time. Therefore, here we also describe the general habitus and genitalia of true M. ussuriensis.

A New Species of Antispila (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae) from the Ryukyus, Japan, with Descriptions of Immature Stages

Abstract Antispila distyliella sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae) is described from the Ryukyus, Japan, with biology and morphology of adult and immature stages given. The larva feeds on the leaves of Distylium racemosum Siebold & Zuccarini (Hamamelidaceae), which is a new host plant family for Heliozelidae. The morphology, including chaetotaxy, of the premature (sixth instar) and mature (seventh instar) larvae is described in detail for the first time for Heliozelidae. The final instar, which is a nonfeeding stage in the larval case, has a smaller head, shorter body, and shorter setae than the penultimate instar.

Labiobaetis species of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, with a new synonym of L. atrebatinus (Eaton 1870) and reerection of the subspecies L. atrebatinus orientalis (Kluge 1983) (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae)

We associated nymphs of Labiobaetis sp. G and Labiobaetis sp. Q from Japan with imagoes reared from nymphs in the field. Labiobaetis sp. G was identified with L. atrebatinus (Eaton 1870) based on characters of the reared male and female imagoes, nymphs, and eggs. We also synonymized a Taiwanese species, L. morus (Chang and Yang 1994), with L. atrebatinus. After further examination of the characters of male imagoes from Japan and Korea and nymphs from Japan and Taiwan, we found them to be correspondent to subspecies L. atrebatinus orientalis (Kluge 1983). Thus, we reerected the subspecific status of L. a. orientalis, although it had been considered not distinguishable from the nominotypical subspecies L. a. atrebatinus. Labiobaetis a. orientalis is distributed in the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. We identified Labiobaetis sp. Q with L. tricolor (Tshernova 1928) based on characters of the reared male and female imagoes, nymphs, and eggs. Labiobaetis tricolor was recorded from Japan for the first time.

First record of the genus Buchananiella Reuter (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) from Japan, with description of a new species

Two species of the anthocorid genus Buchananiella Reuter are recorded from Japan for the first time. Buchananiella leptocephala sp. nov. is described here based on specimens from Honshu and the Ryukyus. Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon, hitherto known from the Ivory Coast and India, was found in the Ryukyus.

First record of Baetis taiwanensis Müller‐Liebenau from Japan, with description of the imago and subimago (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)

Baetis taiwanensis is recorded from Japan, and its imagoes and subimagoes are described for the first time. We provide diagnostic characters which are useful to distinguish B. taiwanensis from an allied species, Baetis sahoensis, in imago, subimago and nymph. We reveal that the line drawings of B. taiwanensis and Nigrobaetis tatuensis were inadvertently interchanged in the original description.