Nacoleia charesalis (Walker, 1859) -

Taxonomic Information

Nacoleia Walker, 1859 species known from Indian subcontinent. 
Nacoleia albicilialis Hampson, 1903. Sri Lanka (TL). 
Nacoleia albiflavalis Hampson, 1903. Sri Lanka (TL).
Nacoleia charesalis (Walker, 1859). Sri Lanka (as Botys molusalis).
Nacoleia commixta (Butler, 1879). Sri Lanka; India. 
Nacoleia conisota Hampson, 1912. India: Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris: TL). 
Nacoleia eximialis (Warren, 1896) (Thysanodesma). India: Meghalaya (Khasi Hills: TL). 
Nacoleia fuscicilialis Hampson, 1908. India: Sikkim (TL). 
Nacoleia fuscifusalis Hampson, 1912. Sri Lanka (TL).
Nacoleia leucosemalis Hampson, 1912. Sri Lanka (TL).
Nacoleia megaspilalis Hampson, 1912. India: Tamil Nadu (Chennai: TL). 
Nacoleia nigricostalis Hampson, 1908. Myanmar (TL). 
Nacoleia ochrizonalis Hampson, 1912. India: Meghalaya (Khasi Hills: TL). 
Nacoleia pachytornalis Hampson, 1912. India: Tamil Nadu (Chennai: TL).
Nacoleia tumidicostalis Hampson, 1908. India: Tamil Nadu (Chennai: TL).
Nacoleia ustalis (Hampson, 1891) (Aplomastix). India: Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris: TL).
Nacoleia ustulalis Hampson, 1903. India: Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris: TL).
 
Nacoleia satsumalis South, 1901 is a species known from Japan and Korea. 

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Nacoleia charesalis -


Comparison with other Nacoleia spp. from the region (by Po Po pro).

I just had a quick glance at the other Nacoleia spp. from the region and made a note of characters in the description that can differentiate/eliminate them from charesalis. Luckily, most of these descriptions are in the JBNHS and not scattered.

albicilialis - reddish brown abdomen with white segmental rings, white-tipped cilia, chequered cilia according to region of wing

albiflavalis - ground colour mentioned as very pale yellow

commixta - a well-known species

ustalis - the description is rather generic. Reddish brown ground colour, costa blackish at base. These characters could apply to charesalis too, because it varies in colouration. Can't rule this out by anything in the description, but Hampson placed this in Aplomastix, which I think is a genus with some modification in male antennae and legs.

conisota - another very generic description that could pass for charesalis. But mentions 'some black points on median part of costa'. In charesalis the costa is unmarked.

tumidicostalis - has major modifications on middle of costa and antennae in males. Smaller species.

fuscicilialis - postmedial line on both wings punctiform

nigricostalis - major feature being the costa black throughout. Postmedial lines punctiform.

fuscifusalis - very elaborate description; terminal half of costa marked with short black streaks, small species - 14 mm

leucosemalis - very small species ~12 mm

ochrizonalis - described to have ochreous patches on abdomen, costa and termen, ground colour and abdomen cupreous brown (expected to be dark?), relatively large at ~30 mm.

pachytornalis - nothing of note in general description of facies, but major modifications and secondary sexual characteristics described in the HW of the male. Likely not a common species.

megaspilalis - ground colour whitish, wing patterns very elaborately described and not anything like other Nacoleia species.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka1
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra1
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total11
  1. OD: Botys charesalis Walker, 1859. List Spec. Lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 18: 709. TL: Sarawak, Borneo. Text at https://archive.org/details/listofspecimenso1618brit/page/709/mode/1up?view=theater
  2. Botys molusalis Walker, 1859. List Spec. Lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 19: 993. Text at https://archive.org/details/listofspecimenso1921brit/page/993/mode/1up?view=theater (female)
  3. Hampson, G. F. 1896. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Moths, Vol.4. Taylor & Francis, London. Pyralidae 594 p - 287 figs. Pg. 319, # 4934.
  4. Robinson,G. S. , K.  R. Tuck and M. Schaffer, 1994. A field guide to the smaller moths of south-east Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, 335 pp. Pl. 30/19.
  5. http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=5178.5
  6. https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Nacoleia-charesalis
  7. https://www.afromoths.net/species/show/14389
  8. http://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=273225
  9. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/mobile/abstract/20163375463
  10. https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/oum-catalogue-3268

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Nacoleia charesalis (Walker, 1859) – . In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.80. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.mothsofindia.org/Nacoleia-charesalis, accessed 2024/11/04.