Oecophorine Genera of Australia III: The Barea Group and Unplaced Genera (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae)

By Ian FB I.F.B. Common

This volume completes the revision of the oecophorine genera of Australia, a subfamily which has diversified enormously in this country and represents some 20% of the Australian lepidoptera.

The generic revision of the Australian Oecophorinae, continued in this third volume, includes the large Barea group of genera, the small Tisobarica group, some genera previously omitted in the first two volumes from the Wingia and Chezala groups, and some miscellaneous genera of unknown relationship. This volume deals with 96 genera, 73 of which are referred to the Barea group, two to the Tisobarica group, four to the Wingia and Chezala groups, and 17 to the group of unplaced genera. As in the first two volumes, nearly all of the genera are endemic.

An account of the morphology of each genus is provided, including the genitalia of both sexes, illustrated by 772 photographs of mounted and live adults and genitalia of type species or representative species, SEMs of the heads of most of the type species, as well as line drawings of the wing venation. The species referred to each genus are given, with full synonymy, original references, label data and repositories of the primary types; where necessary, lectotypes are designated. Available up-to-date information on the distribution, biology and host relationships of the larvae is provided, as well as a key to the genera of the Barea group.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Release date: Jun 19, 2000
• ISBN: 9780643105850

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Chapter 1

Phylogeny of the Barea Group of Genera

The Barea group is the last of the five major generic groups I have recognised in the Australian Oecophorinae. Faced with an extraordinarily large oecophorine fauna, it seemed essential to subdivide it into groups of a more practical size. Previous attempts at defining groups of related oecophorid genera, such as Meyrick’s (1922c) subdivision of the family into five groups, Oecophorides, Scaeosophides, Eulechriades, Philobotides and Depressariades have proved to be unsatisfactory, although establishing some useful leads. Turner (1932-1947) accepted Meyrick’s subdivision broadly, although pointing out problems which would arise if his scheme were applied too rigidly. However, he emphasised the need to divide this enormous number of species into manageable groups, even though the resulting groups might not always be monophyletic. Recently Leraut (1992) drew attention to the sexual dimorphism of the apodemes and venulae of sternum 2 in the Gelechioidea. On the basis of this work he redefined the Oecophoridae, recognising two subfamilies Oecophorinae and Philobotinae but, unfortunately, with little application to the Australian fauna. Most recently, Hodges ([1998]) provided a detailed cladistic analysis of the superfamily Gelechioidea including the family Oecophoridae, in which he recognised two subfamilies, Oecophorinae and Stathmopodinae.

The first of the five informal groups examined in the first volume of this monograph (Common 1994) dealt with the Wingia group of genera, distinguished by three synapomorphies: (a) the greatly reduced or absent apodemes of abdominal sternum 2 in males and elongate, usually slender apodemes in females, associated with reduced or vestigial venulae in both sexes; (b) the presence of a pair of narrow, oblique inner sclerites of abdominal sternum 2; and (c) the presence in the male of a slender rod or spicule in a swollen section of the ductus ejaculatorius near the base of the aedeagus. Additional attributes of assistance in distinguishing members of the Wingia group include the following: the frenulum of the female usually has three bristles; the juxta has a pair of usually clavate, apically setose lateral lobes; the papillae anales of the female are frequently broad or very broad; the apophyses posteriores are usually fairly short to moderately long; and the Signum of the corpus bursae, when present, is usually either a transverse crescentic plate with a serrate concave margin or a longitudinal scobinate band.

The second volume (Common 1997) included the three major groups, the Chezala, Philobota and Eulechria groups. The Philobota group is defined by three synapomorphies of the male genitalia: (a) the cup-shaped vinculum; (b) the short, broad, dorsally placed juxta which is fused laterally to the bases of the valvae; and (c) the frequent occurrence of a long, tapering, midventral protuberance of the juxta. Other features frequently found in this group include paired apically setose lateral lobes of the juxta; short but well developed apodemes of sternum 2 in males and elongate apodemes in females; the venulae usually extend well beyond one-half the length of sternum 2; the frenulum of the female usually has two bristles; the papillae anales are nearly always slender; the apophyses posteriores are usually long or very long; and the Signum of the corpus bursae, when present, is usually elliptical and dentate.

A synapomorphy of the male genitalia also defines the Eulechria group of genera: the presence of a group of long, often dense, anteriorly directed, dorsal setae of the uncus which should be distinguished from the normal short dorsal and lateral setae and the small clusters of ventral or ventrolateral setae which occur near the base of the uncus. Additional attributes of value in distinguishing genera of this group include the juxta, which is without lateral lobes and is not fused laterally to the valvae; the female frenulum consisting of two or three bristles, the papillae anales which are moderately broad or broad, the apophyses posteriores which are fairly short or extremely short, and the signum of the corpus bursae which is usually elliptical and dentate.

No synapomorphies have been recognised so far in the Chezala group which is possibly paraphyletic. However, several characters are available to assist in recognising this group: the apodemes of sternum 2 in males are usually short and the venulae seldom extend beyond one-half the length of sternum 2; the apodemes of females are elongate and the venulae are similar in length to those of the males; the oblique inner sclerites of sternum 2 and the spicules present in the ductus ejaculatorius in members of the Wingia group are absent; the uncus lacks the long, anteriorly directed dorsal setae found in the Eulechria group, the juxta is placed close to the vinculum and is without the midventral protuberance frequently present in the Philobota group; lateral, apically setose lobes of the juxta are often present and are occasionally fused to the bases of the valvae; the papillae anales of the female are usually fairly slender or slender; the apophyses posteriores are frequently very long and the signum is usually elliptical and dentate.

The Barea group of genera can also be defined by a synapomorphy of the juxta in the male genitalia. The juxta varies considerably in shape and sometimes has a pair of small dorsolateral setose protuberances. Usually from near the base, but occasionally from a more dorsolateral position, a pair of fairly narrow, usually elliptical arms arise and are directed obliquely upwards to fuse with the bases of the valvae. The apex of each of these structures usually ends at or near a raised setose pulvinus or a discrete, or relatively discrete, group of pulvinus-like setae. These connecting structures, here termed ‘fusiform appendages’, are variously sclerotised or, if membranous, can usually be differentiated from the surface of the valva by staining. The pulvini or discrete pulvinus-like setae are usually located in the basal one-third of the valva between the sacculus and the costa, but sometimes are placed on a sclerotisation near the base of the costa. Occasionally the fusiform appendages are poorly defined.

A phylogenetic analysis of the Barea group of genera has been undertaken based on 64 characters (Table 1), using the Hennig86 computer programme, version 1.5, designed and written by J.S. Farris. Polarisation of the character states has been derived manually, using as outgroup a hypothetical ancestor with plesiomorphic character states based on background knowledge of the Gelechioidea and other Lepidoptera. All characters have been treated as additive.

The dataset of the Barea group contains 73 taxa. In addition to the 64 characters one was scored 0 for all taxa in order to permit ready interpretation of the Hennig86 results, that is, to align the characters in output with the listed characters. The command m*;bb*; was used; m* constructs an initial cladogram, and extensive branch-swapping bb* was undetaken to generate as many trees as would fit the memory available. The analysis of the Barea group yielded 640 trees with length 785, a consistency index of 0.12 and a retention index of 0.40. From this the nelsen option was used to generate the consensus cladogram shown in Figure 1. The characters (Tables 3-4) supporting the nodes and taxa in the cladogram were listed by loading the nelsen consensus tree into PAUP Version 3.1.1, and generating lists of apomorphies using the command describe /apolist.

The phylogeny shows that the Barea group can be treated in seven subgroups. Subgroup 1 at node 2 includes two genera, Exarsia and Periallactis, which represent the sister taxa of all the remaining genera. The relationships among subgroups 2-5 are not fully resolved; however, within each of these subgroups the generic relationships are resolved. Subgroup 2 with the one genus Oresitropha represents the sister-group of all the genera at nodes 4 to 62 and, in turn, the two genera Aspasiodes and Phloioletes at node 4 represent the sister-group of all the remaining genera.

Some of the generic groupings in the cladogram appear to be anomalous from the perspective of their biology, such as the suggested near relationship of Aspasiodes, a rainforest genus from northern Queensland and Phloioletes, from an arid environment in southern inland Australia. However, many of the other groupings seem to be much more soundly based biologically, in particular those at nodes 11, 26, 46 and 55.

Table 1 Character and character states Oecophorinae, Barea Group

1.  Character scored 0 (used to assist in Hennig86 analysis)

2.  Eyes in male

0.  Medium-sized, interocular index 1.20-1.40

1.  Small, interocular index 0-1.19

2.  Large, interocular index exceeding 1.40

3.  Eyes in female

0.  Medium-sized, interocular index 1.20-1.40

1.  Small, interocular index 0-1.19

2.  Large, interocular index exceeding 1.40

4.  Antennae: length

0.  0.50-0.72× length of fore wings

1.  Exceeding 0.72× length of fore wings

5.  Antennae: flagellum in male

0.  Normal scaling

1.  Thickened with scales

6.  Antennae: ciliations near base in male

0.  0-2.0× diameter of flagellum

1.  Exceeding 2.0× diameter of flagellum

7.  Antennae: pecten of scape

0.  With pecten in basal half

1.  Without pecten

8.  Antennae: ventral scaling in female

0.  Fully or partly scaled

1.  Completely unsealed

9.  Labial palpi of male: second segment, relative to base of antenna

0.  Not reaching base of antenna

1.  Reaching or exceeding base of antenna

10.  Labial palpi: second segment in male, relative to height of eye

0.  Less than height of eye

1.  Exceeding height of eye

11.  Labial palpi of male: scaling of second segment

0.  With appressed scales, sometimes slightly roughened anteriorly

1.  With elongate projecting scales or distally expanded scales anteriorly

2.  With elongate scales forming apical scale-tuft

12.  Labial palpi: apical segment in male

0.  Much shorter than second segment, <0.6×

1.  Nearly equal to or longer than second segment

13.  Proboscis in male

0.  Present, coiled in repose

1.  Reduced, small, slender, not coiled in repose

2.  Rudimentary or absent

14.  Thorax: vestiture

0.  Smooth-scaled

1.  With posterior or lateral scale-crests

15.  Thorax: hair-pencil in male

0.  Without hair-pencil on metathorax beneath base of hind wing

1.  With long hair-pencil on metathorax beneath base of hind wing

2.  With radiating hair-pencil on hind wing near base

16.  Legs: fore tibiae and/or tarsi, vestiture

0.  With short appressed scales

1.  With long slender scales, expanded throughout or medially and apically.

17.  Legs: mid tibiae, vestiture

0.  With short appressed scales

1.  With long slender scales, usually expanded throughout or medially and apically

18.  Fore wing: width

0.  Fairly broad to broad, index >0.28

1.  Narrow, index <0.28

19.  Fore wing: vestiture

0.  Smooth-scaled

1.  With tufts of raised scales

20.  Fore wing venation: termination of R5

0.  R5 or R4+5 to termen

1.  R5 or R4+5 to apex

2.  R5 or R4+5 to costa

21.  Fore wing venation: stalking of R3, R4 and R5

0.  R4 and R5 stalked

1.  R4 and R5 coincident

2.  R3 arising from R4+5

22.  Fore wing venation: CuA1 and CuA2

0.  CuA2 remote at base from CuA1

1.  CuA2 at base approximated to, connate or stalked with CuA1

23.  Hind wing: shape

0.  Ovate

1.  Elongate-ovate

2.  Lanceolate

24.  Hind wing: scale-fringe at anal angle

0.  Less than width of hind wing

1.  About equal to or exceeding width of hind wing

25.  Hind wing: width

0.  Less than width of fore wing

1.  Equal to or exceeding width of fore wing

26.  Hind wing venation: median veins

0.  M2 arising about midway between M1 and M3

1.  M2 arising nearer to M3 than to M1

2.  M2 arising nearer to M1 than to M3

3.  M2 absent

27.  Frenulum of female

0.  With 3 or occasionally 4 bristles

1.  With 2 bristles, rarely 3

28.  Pregenital abdomen: apodemes of male

0.  Moderately long

1.  Short or absent

29.  Pregenital abdomen: venulae of male

0.  Extending to or beyond one-half S2

1.  Extending to less than one-half S2

30.  Pregenital abdomen: tergal setae in male

0.  Setae on T2-8

1.  Setae on T2-7

2.  Setae on T3-7

3.  Setae on T3-8

4.  Setae absent

31.  Pregenital abdomen: tergal setae in female

0.  Setae on T2-7

1.  Setae on T3-7

2.  Setae on T2-6

3.  Setae on T3-6

4.  Setae absent

32.  Diaphragma

0.  Without setae or microtrichia

1.  With setae or microtrichia

33.  Pregenital abdomen: tergal setae, intervening striae

0.  Without intervening longitudinal striae

1.  With intervening longitudinal striae

34.  Pregenital abdomen: tergal setae, persistent or deciduous

0.  Persistent

1.  Partly or wholly deciduous

35.  Male genitalia: form of uncus

0.  Uncus fairly long or long, slender, undivided apically

1.  Uncus short and stout, apically not divided

2.  Uncus stout, apically divided

36.  Male genitalia: sclerotisation of uncus

0.  Normally sclerotised

1.  Heavily sclerotised, sometimes with spines

37.  Male genitalia: uncus, dorsal and lateral setae towards base

0.  Short or fairly short

1.  Long

38.  Male genitalia: gnathos, form

0.  Beak-like, fairly short to long, distally tapering, small, stout or massive, apex acute, rounded or bifid

1.  A fairly long or short lobe, apically rounded or acute, sometimes curved upwards.

39.  Male genitalia: dorsal scobinations of gnathos

0.  Scobinations or minute spines present

1.  Scobinations or minute spines absent

40.  Male genitalia: gnathos, sclerotisation

0.  Weakly or moderately sclerotised

1.  Heavily sclerotised

41.  Male genitalia: transtilla, form

0.  A sclerotised narrow or broad band, more-or-less arched

1.  Expanded dorsally and carrying short or long processes

2.  Membranous or absent

42.  Male genitalia: valva, sacculus

0.  Ill-defined or absent

1.  Well-defined, at least at base and apex

2.  With sclerotised spines or processes

43.  Male genitalia: valva, setation of sacculus or base of saccular margin

0.  With setae sparse or absent towards base

1.  With numerous or very dense setae in basal one-fourth

44.  Male genitalia: valva, distal process of sacculus

0.  Ill-defined or absent

1.  Present

45.  Male genitalia: valva, pulvinus

0.  Absent

1.  Pulvinus represented by discrete group of small setae

2.  Present, usually raised and setose

46.  Male genitalia: valva, shape and ornamentation

0.  Elongate, short or fairly short, apex rounded, round-pointed, acute or truncate

1.  Valva with apical incision or indentation

2.  Costa or saccular margin with projections, spines, stout setae or other ornamentation

47.  Male genitalia: valva, sclerotisation

0.  Weakly or moderately sclerotised

1.  Heavily sclerotised

48.  Male genitalia: juxta, form

0.  Dorsally irregular, rounded or straight, without setose dorsolateral projections

1.  Dorsally concave or indented, usually with setose dorsolateral projections

49.  Male genitalia: juxta, fusiform appendages

0.  Ill-defined or absent

1.  Defined, running to pulvinus or pulvinus-like setae on valva

50.  Male genitalia: vinculum

0.  Rounded, narrow or slightly expanded ventrally

1.  With saccus, sometimes broad or elongate

51.  Male genitalia: aedeagus attachment

0.  Fused to juxta

1.  Attached by membrane

52.  Male genitalia: aedeagus, form

0.  Straight or curved, sometimes very long, slender, not recurved at base

1.  Base recurved or coiled, without coecum penis

2.  Base recurved or coiled, with coecum penis

53.  Male genitalia: aedeagus, cornutus

0.  Absent

1.  One to many straight or curved spines

2.  A small hook with enlarged base

3.  Vesica scobinate or with numerous microtrichia or short spines

54.  Female genitalia: abdominal segments 8 to 10

0.  Not extensible

1.  Slightly or strongly extensible

55.  Female genitalia: papillae anales

0.  Broad

1.  Slender

2.  Elongate and sclerotised

56.  Female genitalia: apophyses posteriores, length

0.  Short to medium, less than 2× length of apophyses anteriores

1.  Long to very long, exceeding 2× length of apophyses anteriores

57.  Female genitalia: length and width of A7

0.  Of normal length and width

1.  Very broad

2.  Long and narrow

58.  Female genitalia: length and width of A8

0.  Of normal length and width

1.  Short, sometimes heavily sclerotised

2.  Long and narrow, sometimes heavily sclerotised

59.  Female genitalia: apophyses anteriores, posterior fork

0.  With posterior fork

1.  Without posterior fork

60.  Female genitalia: ostium bursae

0.  Simple, without sclerotised sterigma

1.  Sterigma weakly or strongly sclerotised, variously sculptured

61.  Female genitalia: colliculum

0.  Present

1.  Absent

62.  Female genitalia: ductus bursae, form

0.  Short, or very short, slender or stout, without coils, twists or sclerotisation

1.  Short, slender or stout, with anterior twists or coils, posterior section sometimes sclerotised

2.  Long, slender or stout, sinuous or straight, without twists or coils

3.  Long, twisted or coiled

63.  Female genitalia: ductus bursae, internal microtrichia

0.  Absent

1.  Present

64.  Female genitalia: corpus bursae, internal microtrichia

0.  Absent

1.  Present

65.  Female genitalia: corpus bursae, Signum

0.  Absent

1.  Elliptical, dentate or scobinate

2.  Irregular, rounded, diamond-shaped, cross-shaped (+) or other shape, usually dentate or scobinate

3.  Paired, scobinate areas

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Figure 1 Cladogram

Table 2 Character matrix, Oecophorinae, Barea Group

Table 3 List of characters and character states supporting the nodes in the cladogram in Fig. 1

Table 4 List of characters and character states supporting each genus in the cladogram in Fig. 1

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Chapter 2

Morphology

The morphological information provided in Chapter 2, Volumes I and II of this monograph (Common 1994, 1997) is also applicable in the present volume. In Volume I special attention was given to the Wingia group of genera and, in Volume II, to the Chezala, Philobota and Eulechria groups. Morphological features of the Barea group are discussed in this Chapter.

Head

The compound eyes in the Oecophorinae are nearly always larger in males than in females, determined by calculating the interocular index (see p. xiv). Males in most genera of the Barea group have small to medium-sized eyes, and females have small eyes, smaller than the corresponding males. Large eyes are rarely present in the Barea group of genera. It has been suggested (Common 1994) that genera which have large eyes, with an interocular index of more than 1.46, as in Actenotis and Baioglossa, often occur in rainforest, whereas those with small eyes, with an interocular index of less than 1.10 are either diurnal in rainforest, as in Aspasiodes, or occur in heathland or areas of open sclerophyll forest or woodland. However, there appear to be exceptions to this hypothesis. The males of Leptocroca and Coelognatha, for example, have large eyes of index 1.53 to 1.75, yet occur in sclerophyll forests.

The flagellum of the male antennae in the Barea group is slightly stouter than in females and occasionaly is thickened with scales as in Delophanes (Fig. 200). The ventral surface in the male flagellum is normally without scales, but in females it is nearly always partially or completely scaled. A pecten is usually present on the scape, at least in the basal half, but occasionally is reduced to a few or one scale or is absent. In Psarophorca there is a pecten of very long, dense, distinctly white scales. Rhoecoceros (Figs 388, 389) is unique in Australian Oecophorinae in having the basal four segments of the flagellum formed into a deep, rounded, dorsal notch.

The proboscis is normally well developed in the Barea group, with the two elements of the galea firmly hooked together to form a functional organ, which is coiled when not in use. However, in some genera reduction of the proboscis in various degrees has occurred, sometimes associated with a reduction of the maxillary palpi. In the males of Baioglossa, Elaeonoma, Eremnozona and Melanoima the proboscis is very short and in some probably functionless, whereas in females of the same genera the proboscis is rather longer and possibly functional. In Ischnomorpha the proboscis is reduced to a short stub, while in Exarsia and Meioglossa it is rudimentary. The reduction is even more extreme in the male of Casmara, in which the proboscis is absent and the maxillary palpi are rudimentary; females of Casmara have a short, slender proboscis, which is coiled when not in use.

The labial palpi of many oecophorines provide characters of taxonomic significance, as shown in many of the scanning electron micrographs of adult heads. The relative length and the vestiture of the second segment are of special value. In several genera the second segment is very elongate and porrect and clothed with long, spreading anterior and posterior, or dorsal and ventral scales. Species having such labial palpi were often referred by previous authors to the Palaearctic genus Pleurota Hübner, but it is now clear that several genera in the Chezala and Barea groups, with widely differing genitalic and other features, have labial palpi of this kind. In two genera of the Barea group, Lasiocosma and Leprocosma, referred to Pleurota by Meyrick (1922c) and other authors, differences in the scaling of the labial palpi (Figs 76, 593) and the even more significant differences in the male genitalia confirm the generic status of the two. The frons in the Barea group of genera is nearly always rounded, but in Sympoecila gypsopleura it is greatly enlarged and heavily sclerotised with a papillate or pustulate surface (see p. 304).

Thoracic appendages

Most genera of the Barea group have a vestiture of smooth scales in a double layer on the thoracic notum. However, some have one or two scale-crests which can be easily denuded. Six genera, Airogephyra, Cirromitra, Oncomerista, Opsitycha, Sphyrelata and Syscalma, have a pair of small, slightly raised, posterolateral scale-crests, which can often be overlooked. Diocrogephyra has an erect scale-crest near the posterior margin of the thorax, and Barea, Machetis, Ochyrolopha, Pyrgoptila and Sthenozancla feature a large, double, median or postmedian scale-crest. In Group (a) of Barea the scale-crest is replaced by a small, rounded mound of shining scales near the posterior margin of the thorax. Laterally on the metathorax beneath the hind wings of the male in Syncometes there is a pair of long, curved scale-pencils, probably involved in the dissemination of pheromones.

Whereas the fore tibiae of nearly all genera of the Barea group have a vestiture of appressed scales, the mid tibiae are frequently clothed in long, slender, apically acute scales, which are often expanded medially and apically. Mostly the hind tibiae have a vestiture of long piliform scales above and beneath, but these are sometimes mixed with long, slender, apically acute scales, especially beneath. Casmara is unique amongst Australian genera in having dense, elongate, expanded scales on the fore, mid and hind tibiae, and shorter, expanded scales on the tarsomeres (Fig. 86).

The frenulum in females of the Barea group consists almost invariably of two bristles, but there are a few exceptions. In Barea there may be either two or three bristles, and rarely two on one side and three on the other. Syscalma females have a frenulum of either two or three bristles, Machetis usually has two and rarely three bristles, and Locheutis has three bristles. The frenulum has either one or two bristles in the females of Oncomerista.

Brachyptery appears to be a rare condition in Australian Oecophorinae and has been observed only in the female of one described species, Micropeteina dryinodes (Meyrick), of the Barea group. The shortened, narrow wings in this species would have made flight impossible and dispersal difficult. Occasionally the vestiture of the fore or hind wings is modified in various ways. Some genera have tufts of raised scales on the fore wings which, when the insect is at rest on a tree trunk or other roughened surface, could provide enhanced protection against predation. Good examples are provided by Ozotrypetes (Fig. 184), Leimmatonca (Fig. 90), Casmara (Fig. 86), Enlopholepis (Fig. 409) and Pyrgoptila (Fig. 39). Modified scaling on the male hind wings of Guestia chaetophora (Turner) (Figs 575, 576) may have a function in disseminating pheromones. The scales on the basal three-fifths of the hind wing are darker than those on the rest of the wing and are sparsely covered with contrasting ochreous white scales; there is also a large tuft of long, apically clubbed, whitish, expandable scales near the wing base.

Pregenital abdomen

The apodemes of S2 in the males of the Barea group are nearly always short and often stout; invariably they are considerably shorter than those of the females. The venulae are also fairly short and seldom extend beyond one-half the length of S2. Oblique inner sclerites, which occur in most genera of the Wingia group, are absent. The distribution of the sclerotised setae on the abdominal terga is variable, but the setae are nearly always deciduous, leaving their bases visible even when the setae are shed. In males, and sometimes in females, setae are present most frequently on terga 2 to 7 or 3 to 7, but in females of some genera setae are absent from tergum 7. Males occasionally have a few setae on tergum 8 but rarely on tergum 1. In Barea the distribution of tergal setae is very variable, but they are deciduous in nearly all of the species, an exception being bryopis (Group (c)), in which the tergal setae are persistent.

Male genitalia

The genitalia of both sexes, especially of males, provide many structures of generic significance. The uncus varies considerably from the relatively simple organ found in many species to modified forms of several kinds. In Oncolapara (Fig. 497) the uncus is hood-like with broad lateral flanges, in Atalopsis (Fig. 445) it is exceedingly long and tapering, and in Leimmatonca (Fig. 91) it is extremely short with an irregular end which at first gives the impression of being broken off. In two genera, Ereiconastes (Fig. 451) and Psarophorca (Fig. 478), the uncus is apically slightly bifid, and in Oncomerista (Fig. 288) the uncus has a much deeper apical incision.

The gnathos is an organ of considerable value in delineating genera. It is frequently ‘beak-like’ and may be long and slender as in Airogephyra (Fig. 327) and Syncometes (Fig. 368), of massive proportions as in Leptocroca (Fig. 424), or have a prominent, dorsal, scobinate expansion as in Machaeritis (Fig. 383) or Aspasiodes (Fig. 26). In Laxonoma (Fig. 464) it features a divided apex. The most unusual gnathos in the Barea group occurs in Echinognatha (Fig. 504), in which the gnathos is distally expanded into a large club carrying dense radiating spines.

Although the transtilla is usually a simple transverse band or is membranous or absent, in Phloioletes (Figs 31, 34) it carries a pair of very large, dorsolateral, spined processes; they are of special value in distinguishing the two species of this genus, being rounded apically in spanioleuca or tapering in diachorda.

The valvae in the Barea group carry a variety of sclerotised projections and other processes useful in separating both genera and species. The costa is frequently broadly sclerotised and sometimes ends in a setose projection, and the sacculus is usually defined and often has a distinctive distal process. Many genera have raised, setose pulvini towards the base of the valva, or small, relatively discrete groups of setae which may function as pulvini.

The juxta is normally a simple plate, sometimes with a pair of dorsolateral, setose protuberances. In most genera of the Barea group the juxta has a pair of narrow, usually elliptical, sclerotised or less clearly defined arms from near the base, which are directed obliquely outwards and fuse with the inner surface of the valva, ending at or near the pulvini. These structures are here termed ‘fusiform appendages’ of the juxta and are considered to be a synapomorphy of the Barea group (see Phylogeny, Chapter 1). Examples of these structures can be clearly distinguished in the figures of many of the genera, such as Echinognatha (Fig. 504), Leptocroca (Fig. 424), Barea (Fig. 220), Opsitycha (Fig. 156) and Syscalma (Fig. 66). The fusiform appendages should not be confused with the lateral lobes of the juxta found in the Wingia and Chezala groups of genera, which are usually clavate and apically rounded and have apical setae.

The vinculum in the Barea group is usually fairly broad and rounded, but in a few genera it is produced anteriorly to form a saccus, as in Protomacha (Fig. 320), Ereiconastes (Fig. 451) and Ischnomorpha (Fig. 176).

The aedeagus varies greatly in shape but is characteristically subcylindrical and curved with an oblique orifice. It is often recurved or strongly recurved basally, and sometimes has a coecum penis. In Laxonoma (Fig. 465) and Analcodes (Fig. 546) the aedeagus is exceptionally large when compared with the remainder of the genitalia, and in Analcodes it has several very large basal coils, which are apparently accommodated in the female during copulation by similar large coils in the ductus bursae (Fig. 547).

Female genitalia

In the females of the Barea group abdominal segments 8 to 10 are most usually only slightly extensible or non-extensible, and accordingly the apophyses posteriores are relatively short. Leptocroca (Fig. 426), Antiopala (Fig. 344) and Laxonoma (Fig. 466) are examples of genera with short apophyses. Occasionally the apophyses posteriores are very long as in Hesperenoeca (Fig. 487). The papillae anales are normally clothed in fine setal sensilla, but in Saropla caelatella (Fig. 494a) the setae are replaced or interspersed by short, stout, conical sensilla. The papillae anales are slender in most genera, as in Guestia (Fig. 581) and Analcodes (Fig. 547), although in dissecting the female genitalia slender papillae anales are sometimes inadvertently flattened and appear to be broader than they really are. Very broad papillae anales are a feature of the genitalia of Elaeonoma (Fig. 102) and Casmara (Fig. 89).

The ductus bursae in the Barea group is very variable, but is most frequently fairly short and stout, and occasionally exceptionally short. In those genera with a longer ductus bursae, its overall length is effectively shortened when the ductus is tightly twisted, as in Scoliocheta (Fig. 378), or the ductus has one or two anterior coils. When anterior coils or twists are present, the ductus bursae sometimes has a sclerotised posterior section.

The Signum of the corpus bursae when present is also variable, but in the majority of genera it is elliptical and dentate. However, unusual signa sometimes occur, as in Oncomerista (Fig. 291), in which the Signum is a large rounded plate carrying numerous elongate spines. In Guestia (Fig. 583) and Phloioletes (Fig. 37) the Signum is in the shape of a large cross, with an anterior and posterior scobinate or dentate band which, in G. balia, extends posteriorly into the ductus bursae. Occasionally a more conventional dentate Signum is replaced by one or a pair of oval, scobinate areas, as in Analcodes (Fig. 549) or Cirromitra (Fig. 590).

Chapter 3

Biology

It is common knowledge that moths are attracted by bright lights at night, and this is true of most species of the Barea group of genera; they are especially responsive to mercury vapour lights. However, diurnal species, as well as the females of some nocturnal genera, seldom approach even mercury vapour lights and, consequently, are often poorly represented in collections. It is also possible that the frequency of brachyptery in females of such species is significantly greater than generally assumed, but until many species have been reared from field-collected larvae the frequency of brachyptery will remain unknown. Only one named species of the Barea group, Micropeteina dryinodes, is now known to have brachypterous females, and that was discovered by rearing larvae collected in the field.

Many species in the Barea group appear to be univoltine, with adults active during only two or three months of the year, usually the warmer months. The adults of most are active in the spring, as early as August and September in the northern half of the continent, but as late as November to January in southern mainland states and in Tasmania. However, some species are on the wing in mid summer and others in autumn and winter. The adults of Micropeteina dryinodes and Guestia spp., for example, are active in autumn and early winter, from March to August, and Leptocroca sanguinolenta in late autumn and winter, from May to July.

Information is available on the immature stages of 17 (23 percent) of the 73 genera of the Barea group, and on one of the four genera previously omitted from the Wingia and Chezala groups, as well as seven of the 17 (41 percent) of the genera with unknown affinities. Little is known about the biology of the two genera of the Tisobarica group.

The larvae of the great majority of the Barea group feed on dead leaf litter from trees belonging to the family Myrtaceae, especially Eucalyptus. Nearly all of these join adjacent leaves together with silk and, at maturity, pupate in the same situations. Dead leaves in sheltered positions under or close to logs, stones or rocks, or beside the butts of trees, are more likely to retain adequate moisture favourable to larval growth. Accumulations of leaf litter on logs, stumps, large rocks, the fronds of palms, cycads or Pandanus, in tree-forks or under loose bark on tree-trunks, are also widely used by larvae in the Barea group. In such situations not only is adequate moisture retained but there may be less pressure from invertebrate or vertebrate predators.

Examples of Barea group genera which have been reared from larvae using less sheltered leaf litter on the ground include Machaeritis, Periallactis, Syncometes and Phloioletes; those reared from eucalypt leaf litter on logs in sclerophyll forest or rainforest include Pachyceraia, Atalopsis and Syncometes; those reared from leaf litter caught on the fronds of Livistona palms include Cirrograpta, Atalopsis and Catadoceta; those found feeding on dead Eucalyptus or Lophostemon leaves which had accumulated on large rocks or in rock clefts include Guestia, Erythrobapta, Leptocroca and Phloioletes, and those found feeding on dead eucalypt or rainforest leaves caught in the forks of trees or under loose bark on tree-trunks include Guestia, Leptocroca, Phloioletes and Catadoceta.

Larvae of the genus Barea have been recorded damaging construction timber and building boards, especially where they have been moist and in contact with the soil. However they have been seldom responsible for damage to heartwood. Normally they are to be found under logs or firewood, in rotting stumps or in or under bark on dead standing or fallen trees. Known attacks have been mainly on Eucalyptus, but there are records of damage to Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae), exotic Pinus radiata (Pinaceae) and Acacia (Mimosaceae). The larvae of the Tasmanian species B. psologramma Turner live in silk tunnels under the bark and feed on dead Nothofagus cunninghamii (Fagaceae) (H.J. Elliott). Wood-destroying fungi are also frequently present in moist wood, and the Barea larvae may benefit from, or even depend upon, the presence of the fungal hyphae. Unusual materials damaged by Barea larvae include tanbark and leaf mould, orchid compost, sections of branches used for orchid culture, dead dahlia stems, dead sections of ornamental and fruit trees, and woody galls growing on Exocarpos (Santalaceae) trees.

Three other genera of the Barea group have been reared from larvae boring in wood. An adult male of Ozotrypetes atrispersa (Turner) has been reared from a larva boring in a broken branch of Angophora floribunda (Myrtaceae) near Toowoomba. The tunnel entrance was covered by a web incorporating numerous faecal pellets. A larva of Machetis aphrobola Meyrick was discovered in the heartwood of Acacia prominens (Mimosaceae) at Ourimbah State Forest, N.S.W., and another was reared from a dead branch of A. elata at Berowra, N.S.W. Several adults of Cirrograpta sporadica have been reared at Brisbane, Qld from larvae in the stemwood of A. fimbriata, but this insect has also been reared on several occasions from larvae feeding on dead Eucalyptus leaves caught on the fronds of Livistona palms and a Philodendron at Brisbane. As in Barea, some species of the Barea group apparently can utilise as larval food dead eucalypt leaves as well as the dead wood of Acacia and other trees.

There are a few records of Barea group larvae having been reared in unusual circumstances. An adult of Erythrobapta picimacula (Turner) was reared from an old dead cone of Macrozamia communis (Zamiaceae) near Batemans Bay, N.S.W., but it is possible some eucalypt leaf material was present in the cone. Adults of an undescribed black species of Erythrobapta were reared from eucalypt leaves caught at the bases of M. communis fronds. Undescribed species of Atalopsis have been reared from larvae feeding on Casuarina (Casuarinaceae) litter caught on a frond of Livistona palms at Byfield, Qld, and on dead leaves of Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) on Livistona palms at Woodgate, Qld. Adults of Syncometes vilis (Turner) have been reared from larvae tunnelling in large woody galls growing on Exocarpos (Santalaceae) on the Brindabella Range, A.C.T., and Phloioletes diachorda (Turner) adults were reared from leaf litter beneath shrubs of Cassinia (Asteraceae) at Mt Tennent, A.C.T. The only record of the feeding behaviour of Sphyrelata larvae was from Sydney, where two adults of S. amotella (Walker) were reared from larvae damaging cork.

The biology of the Oriental genus Casmara, represented on Cape York Peninsula, northern Qld, was published by Kalshoven (1966), who observed larvae of a species allied to C. exculta Meyrick, one of the two species recorded from Queensland, boring in the shoots of Murraya paniculata (Rutaceae) in Central Java. The larvae are slender and measure up to 48 mm in length, and their feeding galleries reach a length of 65 cm in the ligneous sections of the shoots.

Two species of Trisyntopa, one of three genera omitted from the Chezala group by Common (1997), have larvae which live gregariously in the nesting hollows of parrots. The biology of T. scatophaga (White), the first to be discovered, was reported by White (1922) and Turner (1923). Numerous larvae were found in strong silk galleries spun in the floor of the nesting chamber of the golden-shouldered parrot in Cape York Peninsula, northern Queensland. This parrot excavates its nest chamber in termite mounds. As the young nestlings develop, the moth larvae protrude from their galleries and rapidly devour the nestling droppings soon after they are produced. It has been suggested that this behaviour had a beneficial effect on the young birds by maintaining the hygiene of the nest chamber. However, this has been questioned because young parrots can develop successfully even in the absence of the moth larvae.

Another species of Trisyntopa was first described as euryspoda by Oswald Lower in 1918 and was re-described by Turner as agnosta in 1935, without any knowledge of the larval habits. The immature stages of euryspoda were first recorded by the ornithologist Keith Hindwood (1951), who found larvae in the nest hollow of eastern rosella parrots, Platycercus eximius, near Sydney. More recently larvae and cocoons of euryspoda were found in a nest hollow of the mulga parrot Psephotus varius in far south-western Queensland, from which a series of adults was subsequently reared.

The diverse larval food requirements of seven of the 17 unassigned Oecophorinae have been recorded. The larvae of an undescribed species of Ancistroneura were reared at Montville, Qld, feeding on the live foliage of Macadamia tenuifolia (Proteaceae). An adult of Chioneocephala ochroptera has been reared from a larva feeding on dead Eucalyptus leaves caught on a frond of a Livistona palm at Brisbane, Qld. A larva of an undescribed species of Corethropalpa was found feeding on Casuarina (Casuarinaceae) and Eucalyptus leaf litter also on a frond of a Livistona palm at Byfield, Qld. At Lawes, near Gatton, Qld, a larva of Crossophora semiota was collected between joined live leaves of E. crebra and, at Toowoomba, an undescribed species of Crossophora was found feeding between joined dead Eucalyptus leaves attached to a fallen twig. An adult of Lonchopetina episcota was reared successfully from a larva feeding between joined live leaves of Eucalyptus sp. at Lawes, Qld. Species of Pholeutis, which occur mainly in wet sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest and rainforest, have been reared from larvae in samples of eucalypt or rainforest leaf litter. The large genus Oenochroa, which includes some 48 known species and has a wide distribution especially in mainland Australia, appears to be well adapted to the lower rainfall areas away from the coast. Larvae of 12 of the 14 species which have been reared feed on the live foliage of Eucalyptus, Lophostemon or Angophora (all Myrtaceae) forming shelters by joining two leaves with silk, often associated with large quantities of faecal pellets. Several species use the juvenile leaves regenerated from the butt of a tree that has been felled or burned. Leaves close to or in contact with the soil are usually chosen. Sometimes, as in phaeobaphes and mesozona, several larvae often live together between the one pair of leaves. One species, homora, feeds on live foliage of Acacia (Mimosaceae), the only food plant known for the genus outside of the Myrtaceae.

Chapter 4

Diversity and Distribution

This third volume recognises 96 Australian genera, the majority of which belong to the Barea group of genera, two to the Tisobarica group, one to the Wingia and three to the Chezala groups omitted from earlier volumes (Common 1994, 1997), together with a diverse group of 17 genera with unknown affinities. As in the previous volumes, nearly all of the genera included in this volume are endemic. However, three genera of the Barea group are known to have at least one representative each in other countries. The Oriental genus Casmara has a wide distribution from India, through south-east Asia and the Indonesian islands to New Guinea, and is here recorded from the Cape York Peninsula by the two species exculta Meyrick and regalis Diakonoff. Syscalma includes four species from Queensland, one of which, cleophanta Meyrick, from Malanda on the Atherton Tableland, northern Queensland, was recorded by Meyrick (1922a) from the Setekwa River, New Guinea. The type locality of Mermeristis is Georges Bay, on the east coast of Tasmania, but ocneropis Meyrick, a close relative of the type species, spodiaea Meyrick, is known to occur in the South Island, New Zealand.

The Barea group of genera includes 341 named species referred to 73 genera, 38 of which are here described as new. An additional 268 unnamed species are known from Australia, making a total of 609 recognised species. As in the Wingia and Chezala groups (Common 1994, 1997), the greatest diversity of genera and species in the Barea group (Table 5) is found in New South Wales (47 genera, 156 species) and southern Queensland (45 genera, 149 species). The number of genera and species is substantially reduced in southern Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and northern Queensland, and even more so in the remaining states and territories. However, although Tasmania and northern Queensland have many fewer genera than New South Wales and southern Queensland, there is still a significant representation of species.

Altogether 51 genera of the Barea group are recorded for the whole of Queensland, ten of which, Actenotis, Baioglossa, Aspasiodes, Delophanes, Dysthreneta, Elaeonoma, Scoliocheta, Cirrograpta, Diocrogephyra and Trinaconeura, are restricted to Queensland, and three genera, Baioglossa, Aspasiodes and Dysthreneta, to northern Queensland. Three monotypic genera, Exarsia, Phriconyma and Liozancla, are at present known only from New South Wales. Fourteen of the 15 genera recorded for Tasmania are shared with the southern half of the Australian mainland, only one genus, Oresitropha, being endemic to Tasmania. Southern Western Australia has seven endemic genera, Triacra, Micramicta, Lasiocosma, Hesperenoeca, Leipochlida, Pyrgoptila and Ereiconastes.

Table 5 Barea Group diversity in Australian states and territories

Of the total known fauna of 609 species in the Barea group of genera, 285 species (47 per cent) belong to the genus Barea, making it by far the dominant genus. Although the largest number of named species of Barea (Table 6) occurs in New South Wales (55) and southern Queensland (52), the largest number of known species for southern Queensland (151) greatly exceeds that for New South Wales (67). Similarly, although the number of named species for northern and central Queensland (16, 8) is substantially less than for New South Wales and southern Queensland, the number of unnamed species (34, 45) is in excess of that for Victoria and Tasmania, and the values for both named and known species are reduced even further for the remaining states and territories. The excessively high number of unnamed Barea spp. for southern Queensland could in part be due to the greater attention given recently to collecting in Queensland, especially in rainforest and wet sclerophyll Eucalyptus forests which are favoured by species of Barea.

The Tisobarica group is represented by two genera, Aglaodes with one named and two unnamed species, and Tisobarica, with eight named and three unnamed species. Aglaodes occurs in Queensland, and New South Wales, and Tisobarica in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with one species each in Tasmania and southern Western Australia. Both are endemic genera.

The unplaced genera in the present volume include 69 named species in 17 genera, six of which are described as new. There are in addition 42 unnamed species. Again the greatest diversity occurs in New South Wales (12 genera, 34 species) and southern Queensland (12 genera, 33 species) (Table 7), followed by Victoria (8 genera, 17 species), the Australian Capital Territory (6 genera, 9 species), central Queensland and southern Western Australia (both 5 genera, 14 species), and lower values for the remaining states or territories. Only two genera, Eridolera and Leptocopa, are restricted to Queensland, and Leptocopa is known only from northern Queensland. The largest genus, Oenochroa, with 48 known species, 22 of which are named, has a wide distribution in mainland Australia and appears to be well adapted to inland areas of lower rainfall.

A comparison of Table 8 with Table 5, and the similar tables in Common (1994, 1997), shows clearly the consistent great diversity of the Australian Oecophorinae in New South Wales and southern Queensland. Not only is the number of genera for these two areas far in excess of those for the remaining states and territories, but both named and unnamed species are more than twice as numerous. There is little doubt that this disparity is partly due to the early, very active collecting in central eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland, with most of the species known at that time named by Edward Meyrick and A.J. Turner. Many unnamed species have since accumulated, especially in the ANIC, with the majority having been collected in New South Wales and southern Queensland. The relatively low numbers for the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia reflect the limited amount of collecting in both areas. However, some large collections made recently in these two areas, when studied, are certain to increase substantially the number of unnamed species.

Table 6 Barea diversity in Australian states and territories

Table 7 Diversity of unplaced genera in Australian states and territories

Table 8 Diversity of five major groups of Oecophorinae in Australian states and territories

Table 9 Diversity of Australian Oecophorinae in generic groups

Including the Oecophorinae in the present volume, the Australian fauna of the subfamily contains 151 previously named genera represented by 1899 valid named species (Table 9). With 120 genera described as new, a total of 271 genera and 3272 known species are currently recognised. With further collecting and study an estimated fauna exceeding 5000 species may well be realised. It is clear, therefore, that Australia has by far the greatest diversity of Oecophorinae in the world.

Chapter 5

Australian Genera of the Barea Group of Oecophorinae

Key to Genera

1          Antenna in male with ciliations near base greater than 2.0× diameter of flagellum………2

Antenna in male with ciliations near base less than 2.0×diameter of flagellum………20

2(1)     Fore wing with R5 to costa………3

Fore wing with R5 to termen or apex ………6

3(2)     Labial palpi short, second segment not reaching base of antenna; juxta in male dorsally concave or indented, with pair of dorsolateral setose protuberances………Trinaconeura (p. 287)

Labial palpi and juxta not so ………4

4(3)     Mid tibiae with long, slender, apically acute scales, expanded medially and apically………Stenoptena (p. 133)

Mid tibiae with short appressed scales………5

5(4)     Labial palpi with scales of second segment slightly expanded towards apex; gnathos in male beak-like, massive, distal half strongly convex and sclerotised (Fig. 424)………Leptocroca (p. 243)

Labial palpi with scales of second segment not expanded; gnathos in male not beak-like, distal half broadly clavate, with elongate, stout, more or less radiating spines (Fig. 504)………Echinognatha (p. 283)

6(5)     Fore wing with R5 to termen………7

Fore wing with R5 to apex………13

7(6)     Thorax in male with pencil of long, slender, curved scales on metathorax beneath base of hind wing………Syncometes (p. 215)

Thorax in male without pencil of long scales beneath base of hind wing ……… 8

8(7)     Labial palpi very large, second segment rising obliquely, extending well beyond base of antenna, densely clothed from near base with long, expanded, apically dentate scales above and beneath forming a projecting apical tuft (Fig. 76)……… Lasiocosma (p. 66)

Labial palpi not so………9

9(8)     Proboscis rudimentary; mid tibiae with short appressed scales………Exarsia (p. 28)

Proboscis normally developed, coiled in repose; mid tibiae with long, slender, apically acute scales, partially expanding medially and apically………10

10(9)   Antenna in male with basal four segments of flagellum forming a deep, rounded dorsal notch (Fig. 388); hind wing lanceolate (Fig. 403)………Rhoecoceros (p. 228)

Antenna in male without basal notch; hind wing elongate-ovate...………11

11(10) Vestiture of fore wing with aposematic pattern: dark bronzy fuscous with orange yellow fasciae; hind tibiae with long, slender, apically acute scales forming stiff, expanded, medial and apical whorls.………Aspasiodes (p. 39)

Vestiture of fore wings with cryptic pattern; hind tibiae with long piliform scales above and beneath……………… 12

12(11) Labial palpi short, not reaching base of antenna (Fig. 429); gnathos without dorsal scobinations; aedeagus recurved at base (Figs 432, 433)………Eulachna (p. 247)

Labial palpi long, second segment extending beyond base of antenna; gnathos with dorsal scobinations; aedeagus not recurved at base (Figs 342, 343)………Antiopala (p. 203)

13(6) Fore wing with tufts of raised scales………14

Fore wing smooth-scaled………15

14(13) Fore, mid and hind tibiae in male with long, slender, apically acute scales, expanded medially and apically, tarsal segments with similar, shorter, expanded scales………Casmara (p. 73)

Fore tibiae and fore, mid and hind tarsi without long, slender, expanded scales………Leimmatonca (p. 77)

15(13) Labial palpi with apical segment much shorter than second (0.6–); uncus in male long and fairly slender; gnathos carrying small, subapical spines connected to each other by fine dorsal ridges………Macronemata (p. 107)

Labial palpi with apical segment equal in length to second; uncus and gnathos not so………16

16(15) Labial palpi with second segment not reaching base of antenna; uncus in male short, broad at base, slender distally; gnathos a broad lobe, about as long as uncus, with short spines above………Coelognatha (p. 240)

Labial palpi, uncus and gnathos not so………17

17(16) Fore wing with CuA2 remote from CuA1 at base………Locheutis (p. 104)

Fore wing with CuA2 approximated to, connate with or stalked with CuA1 at base………18

18(17) Uncus in male with pair of broad ventral flanges; gnathos not beak-like, distal half infolded above and spinulose (Fig. 498)………Oncolapara (p. 280)

Uncus and gnathos not so………19

19(18) Labial palpi with apical segment nearly as long as second (0.8–1.0×); uncus in male tapering from broad base to subacute apex; gnathos beak-like, broad at base, apex hooked, acute (Fig. 336)………Diaphanta (p. 198)

Labial palpi, uncus and gnathos not so………20

20(19) Scape of antenna with pecten………21

Scape of antenna without pecten………23

21(20) Uncus in male short, very broad at base, apex stout, medially indented; gnathos short, base broad, tapering rapidly to down-curved hooked apex, scobinate above (Fig. 104)………Baioglossa (p. 84)

Uncus and gnathos not so………22

22(21) Labial palpi with second segment very long, slightly up-curved, rising obliquely, distally with elongate expanded scales above and beneath and with a distinct dark fuscous subapical band………Eremnozona (p. 88)

Labial palpi not so………26

23(20) Fore wing with either R2, or R3 absent (Fig. 72)………Syscalma (p. 61)

Fore wing with both and R3 present………24

24(23) Hind wing ovate, fore wing with CuA2 remote from CuA1 at base (Fig. 211)………Ochyrolopha. (p. 170)

Hind wing shape and fore wing venation not so………25

25(24) Fore wing with R5 to apex, CuA2 approximated to, connate with or short-stalked with CuA1 at base (Fig. 210)………Barea (p. 146)

Fore wing with R5 to termen, CuA2 remote from CuA1 at base (Fig. 71)………Machetis (p. 56)

26(22) Labial palpi with second segment not reaching base of antenna………27

Labial palpi with second segment reaching or exceeding base of antenna………35

27(26) Fore wing with CuA2 short-stalked with CuA1 (Fig. 107)………28

Fore wing with CuA2 and CuA1 not stalked………29

28(27) Proboscis in male very small, possibly not functional; fore wing with R5 to termen………Elaeonoma (p. 81)

Proboscis in male normally developed, coiled in repose; fore wing with R5 to costa………Thapsinotypa (p. 100)

29(27) Abdominal segments 3 to 7 or 5 to 7 with lateral tufts of long, loose scales, those on 5 to 7 often swept upwards and meeting above abdomen………Machaeritis (p. 223)

Abdominal segments 3 to 7 or 5 to 7 without long lateral scale-tufts………30

30(29) Proboscis in male rudimentary; gnathos in male without dorsal scobinations (Fig. 125)………Meioglossa (p. 97)

Proboscis normally developed; gnathos in male with dorsal scobinations………31

31 (30) Fore wing with R4 and R5 coincident,

R4+5 to costa (Fig. 110)………Mermeristis (p. 94)

Fore wing with R4 and R5 stalked, R5 to costa, apex or termen………32

32(31) Fore wing with R5 to costa………Liozancla (p. 127)

Fore wing with R5 to apex………33

33(29) Valva in male with dense setae in basal one-fourth of sacculus; diaphragma dorsal of juxta with two areas of small setae (Fig. 397)………Catadoceta (p. 231)

Valva in male with setae sparse or absent in basal one-fourth of sacculus; diaphragma dorsal of juxta without areas of small setae………34

34(33) Hind wing elongate-ovate (Fig. 74); vinculum in male broadly rounded(Fig. 81)………Phriconyma (p. 70)

Hind wing lanceolate (Fig. 153); vinculum in male with long triangular saccus (Fig. 176)………%Ischnomorpha (p. 122)

35(26) Thorax with posterior or lateral scale-crests………36

Thorax smooth-scaled………45

36(35) Fore wing with R5 to apex………37

Fore wing with R5 to termen………39

37(36) Uncus in male stout, apically deeply bifid; valva with large, clavate process with short, stout sensilla on costa (Fig. 288)………Oncomerista (p. 174)

Uncus in male not apically bifid; valva without large, clavate costal process………38

38(37) Antenna in male with ciliations near base short, slightly greater (0.3×) than diameter of flagellum; second segment of labial palpi with scales anteriorly slightly longer and expanded………Cirromitra (p. 325)

Antenna in male with ciliations near base minute, less than 0.5× diameter of flagellum………39

39(38) Transtilla in male with pair of erect lateral protuberances clothed with short, stout microtrichia (Fig. 303); diaphrama dorsal of juxta with microtrichia………Diocrogephyra (p. 182)

Transtilla a broad, strongly arched band or membranous; diaphragma without microtrichia………41

40(39) Fore wing with extensive pattern of dark fuscous or black and with black discal and plical stigmata (Fig. 23); vinculum produced anteriorly to form a broad saccus (Fig. 40)………Pyrgoptila (p. 48)

Fore wing pale ochreous, with scattered dark fuscous scales (Fig. 46); vinculum anteriorly short and subacute (Fig. 47)………Sthenozancla (p. 52)

41(39) Fore wing smooth-scaled………42

Fore wing with tufts of raised scales………44

42(41) Antenna in male with flagellum serrated and slightly thickened with scales; fore wing white or ochreous-white with dark fuscous fasciae (Figs 293–295)………Sphyrelata (p. 177)

Antenna in male with flagellum not serrated or thickened with scales; fore wing not so………43

43(42) Gnathos in male long, slender, beak-like, arms uniting at about one-sixth before small scobinate expansion, apex down-curved; acute, transtilla with prominent dorsal expansion (Fig. 327)………Airogephyra (p. 194)

Gnathos in male a broad lobe, about as long as uncus,