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This
tribe is only weakly supported (Holloway, 1998) by a series of characters that
overlap one another in the sequence of genera following. The moths are rather
delicate in build compared to the Careini, but most have deeper forewings than
the majority of Sarrothripini. Tymbal organs occur in several of the genera
(Figs 360-364, 396), those of
Sinna
Walker, Gabala
Walker, Asinduma
Walker and Lophothripa
Hampson being of the rather elongate sarrothripine type. Those of
Ariolica
Walker and Titulcia
Walker resemble each other in being broad and lacking a distinctly carinate
zone, perhaps trending towards the Chloephorini. Cossedia Walker has
carinae in a longitudinal scaleless zone of the hindwing. The apodemes of the
male eighth tergite are often very long.
The first three genera, Ariolica, Sinna and Titulcia, have
a satiny white ground colour, and the valves of the male genitalia each have a
strong, basal, exterior hair-pencil. Such a hair-pencil is seen also in the next
genus, Chandica
Moore; this is also the first genus in the sequence to have a field of rows of
peg-like setae on the valve.
Siglophora
Butler has coremata in the position of the hair-pencils of the previous genera
and also has peg-like setae on the valve. Chandica, Siglophora and
Cossedia have rather similarly marked yellow and reddish brown forewings
and all have peg-like setae on the valves. These occur also in the next six
genera, Lophothripa,
Lasiolopha
Turner, Labanda
Walker, Tathothripa
Hampson, Plagiograpta
Hampson and Ariola
Walker. The genera from Labanda onwards have a distinctive gnathal and
scaphial structure in the male genitalia, as well as a more slender build with
elongate forewings and abdomen, the latter particularly in males.
Paracrama
Moore and the genera following all have paddle-shaped, rather careine valves in
the male genitalia, often slightly bilobed and usually with a subbasal costal
process. However, they lack the typical careine tymbal structures, and in
Asinduma, the only member of the sequence having such structures, they
resemble those of other ariolicines such as Sinna and Lophothripa.
This ‘careine’ sequence is only loosely associated with the rest of the tribe
through the presence in
Arachnognatha
Hampson, Maceda
Walker and Detounda
Walker of a gnathal and scaphial structure similar to that of Labanda and
allies.
Many of the genera have a scattering of small spines in the aedeagus vesica,
though there is a single cornutus in Titulcia, Cossedia,
Tathothripa and Asinduma. The bursa copulatrix of the female, though
sometimes with general or local scobination, lacks a signum except possibly in
Asinduma (a small, dense, scobinate patch) and Labanda (a basally
directed cluster of spines in the centre).
There are no common larval features; Lasiolopha has a swollen, berry-like
thorax as in the careines. No strong host-plant specialisation is evident
either, though the few records for the ‘careine’ sequence are all from the
Malvales.
Kobes (1997) noted
Gabala
roseoretis
Kobes from Borneo but has not subsequently (pers. comm.) been able to
confirm this or locate the material. Borneo is not included in the distribution
for the species (Sumatra, Himalaya, Taiwan) given by Sugi (1991).
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