Somena similis (Moore, [1860]) -

Taxonomic Information

Somena scintillans Walker, 1856 is a similar species; best separated by genitalia. 

Notes on species from Moths of Borneo
“Somena similis is often confused with the Indian type species (Somena scintillans), but the latter has a broader yellow forewing border in the male, with correspondingly longer brown protrusions into it. The female of scintillans also has deeper yellow patches on the forewing margin, including a strong one at the apex”.

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

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 Kashmir1
Jharkhand
Karnataka1111
Kerala11
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh1
Maharashtra1
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu1
Tripura1
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal1
Total1211133
Somena similis (Moore, [1860]): Vernicia montana (Euphorbiaceae), Erythrina subumbrans, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (Fabaceae), Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010)
  1. Artaxa similis Moore, [1860]. Cat. lepid. Insects Mus. E. Ind. Co. 2: 351. Text at https://archive.org/details/catalogueoflepid02east/page/351/mode/1up?view=theater
  2. Somena irrorata Moore, [1884]. Lep. Ceylon, 2: 87. Text at https://archive.org/details/lepidopteraofcey02moor/page/87/mode/1up?view=theater. Somena irrorata is considered a subspecies of similis and has yellow hindwings. 
  3. Porthesia scintillans similis Collenette, 1932, Novit. Zool. 38: 57. Text at https://archive.org/details/novitateszoologi38lond/page/57/mode/1up?view=theater
  4. https://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-5/nygmiini/nygmiini_2_1.php
  5. https://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=160992

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Somena similis (Moore, [1860]) – . In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.72. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://moths.ncbs.res.in/somena-similis, accessed 2024/03/28.