Zweiter Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Färbungs- und Zeichnungsmorphologie der Körper einiger Arten der Gattung Attacus Linnaeus, 1767 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

"This paper to knowledge the Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) is dealing with the color and pattern morphology of the body of selected taxa in the genus Attacus LINNAEUS, 1767 of the tribe Attacini BLANCHARD, 1840. Peigler (1989) provided short descriptions of the head, thorax and abdomen for many species of the genus Attacus. First more detailed descriptions on the color and pattern morphology of the body of selected taxa were provided by Paukstadt & Paukstadt (2016). This first study on the color and pattern morphology of the body included ♂ Attacus atlas atlas (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Phalaena Bombyx) from West Java, ♂ and ♀ A. caesar MAASSEN, 1873 from the Philippines, ♂ and ♀ A. dohertyi W. ROTHSCHILD, 1895 from Timor, Eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, ♂ A. intermedius JURRIAANSE & LINDEMANS, 1920 from Yamdena, Tanimbar Archipelago, and ♂ and ♀ A. suparmani PAUKSTADT & PAUKSTADT, 2002 from Alor, Eastern Lesser Sunda Islands. In the meantime further studies were carried out using ♂ and ♀ A. atlas atlas from Bali, ♂ and ♀ A. atlas from West Malaysia, Thailand, and West Sumatra, ♂ and ♀ A. lorquinii C. & R. FELDER, 1861 from Marinduque, ♂ and ♀ A. erebus FRUHSTORFER, 1904 from South Sulawesi, and ♀ A. crameri C. FELDER in von Frauenfeld, 1861 from Ambon. Pictures of fresh specimens were taken for illustrations and comparisons, since the size and shape varies considerably between fresh and dried specimens. In both sexes the color morphology of the head is confirmed being slightly variable but dorsally (vertex, occiput) almost similar the ground coloration of the dorsal parts of the thorax. The frons and the labial palpi are mostly similar colored as the legs. No particular pattern was observed being present at the head. It has been found that the color and pattern morphologies of the head are not useful for taxonomic purposes. The color and pattern morphologies of the thorax and the abdomen of ♂ and ♀ adults are somehow variable. The range of variability remains unknown so far. The thorax is mostly in ground coloration dorsally but shows a very complex pattern and color morphology laterally and ventrally. The spiracular ornamentation of the abdomen seems to be copied and enlarged to the thorax as already mentioned in the previous paper. The ventral parts are usually obscured by the legs and therefore not sufficiently visible. We herewith confirm that the color and pattern morphologies of the thorax seem to be hardly useful for taxonomic purposes. Despite the complex structures of the lateral and ventral pattern morphologies of the abdomen and so far unknown range of variability (all?) taxa in the genus Attacus could perhaps be defined due to the color and pattern morphologies of the abdomen. The ventral and lateral color and pattern morphologies of the abdomen of ♂ and ♀ adults of each studied taxon were found to be different from related taxa. Color and pattern morphologies of the dorsal parts of the abdomen were found to be taxonomically not useful due to a large overall color variability and lack of a particular pattern. We found that the color and pattern morphologies of the lateral and ventral parts of the abdomen of Attacus might be very useful for taxonomic purposes. Further studies on this matter based on some more species from different regions are considered needed."