Subspecies Euploea alcathoe monilifera (Moore, 1883)

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• Gamatoba monilifera Moore, F. 1883. A monograph of Limnaina and Euploeina, two groups of diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the subfamily Euploeinae; with descriptions of new genera and species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1883(1): 201-252, pls 29-32; (2) 253-324.

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♀ (Moore (1883) described the species monilifera on pp. 262-263, apparently based on a single specimen. Waterhouse and Lyell (1914) illustrated the type female on plate 3, figure 22. The specimen is considered to be a vagrant from western Cape York Peninsula (Lane and Ham 2019).), Thursday Island, QLD.

  Type locality references:

  Moore, F. 1883. A monograph of Limnaina and Euploeina, two groups of diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the subfamily Euploeinae; with descriptions of new genera and species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1883(1): 201-252, pls 29-32; (2) 253-324.

  Secondary source:

   Lambkin, T.A. 2005. Euploea alcathoe misenus Miskin (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Torres Strait, Queensland. Australian Entomologist 32: 145-153; Lane, D.A. & Ham, R.D. 2019. New records of Euploea alcathoe monilifera Moore, 1883, stat. rev. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Danainae) from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. Australian Entomologist 46(4): 171-178.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Moore, F. 1883. A monograph of Limnaina and Euploeina, two groups of diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the subfamily Euploeinae; with descriptions of new genera and species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1883(1): 201-252, pls 29-32; (2) 253-324

Introduction

Lane and Ham (2019) revised the status of Euploea alcathoe monilifera Moore, 1873, which was treated by Lambkin (2005) as a junior synonym of either E. alcathoe nox Butler, 1866 (from Aru) or E. alcathoe occulta Butler, 1877 (from PNG). The type locality of monilifera is Thursday Island, Torres Strati, but Lambkin (2005) considered this to be in error and hence it was believed the name was used in error to designate populations of E. alcathoe from TSI, now under the name Euploea alcathoe misenus Miskin, 1890. However, discovery of a population of Euploea alcathoe from western Cape York Peninsula by Lane and Ham (2019), the material of which resembles Moore’s female lectotype of Gamatoba monilifera Moore, 1873 as illustrated in Waterhouse & Lyell (1914, plate, figure 22), suggest the specimen was in fact labeled correctly.

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Marsdenia australis (R.Br.) Druce [APOCYNACEAE] Doubah; Nerium oleander L. [APOCYNACEAE]; Asclepias sp. [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Gymnanthera oblonga P.S.Green [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Hoya australis R.Br. ex Trail [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Ficus obliqua G.Forst. [MORACEAE]).

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