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Dysaethria Turner
Type species: pasteopa Turner, Queensland.
This genus represents the concept of Epiplema Herrich-Schäffer
used by Janse (1932), and includes numerous Bornean species previously referred
to Epiplema. Epiplema itself (= Chaetopyga Warren, based on an
undoubtedly mislabelled 'Australian' specimen (Nielsen, Edwards & Rangsi,
1996)) is based on a robust Neotropical species, acutangularia Herrich-Schäffer,
with the male abdomen distally corematous and genitalia more as in the Pterotosoma
/ Oroplema group of species Pterotosoma
Warren and Oroplema
Gen.n.. Boudinot (1982) included a number
of Madagascan species in his concept of Epiplema that are probably
referable to Dysaethria, but also several species, listed first, with
genitalia more as in the Pterotosoma/Oroplema group.
The hindwing is
two-tailed, with the most extreme form of sharply angled fasciation that, in
most species, looks as though, if 'freshly painted' a brush has been drawn
longitudinally through the angle whilst the paint is still wet! Vein M2 is
present, but there is only one anal vein.
The male antennae
are usually uniserrate, lamellate, though they are bipectinate in the subalbata Guenée
group and in columba Holloway.
The modification of
the uncus in the male genitalia into an inverted gutter around the anal tube,
flanked by one or two pairs of lateral spurs (the more basal could be derived
from the gnathus) provides the key diagnostic feature. The central process of
the uncus is variable, from long, spine-like or robust (conflictaria Walker
group) to vestigial or absent. The valves are distally elongate to ovate, often
with a broad, flat membraneous lobe apically (e.g. Figs 238. 239 and 256) and
sometimes with fans or rows of modified scales centrally. The basal part of the
valves is narrower, often convolute, usually with a hair-pencil at the very
base. The transtillae form a bridge between the costal bases of the two valves,
very elaborate in the conflictaria group. The aedeagus vesica sometimes
has scobinate patches, or a scattering or bundles of slender cornuti.
The female genitalia
are diverse in form, but usually have two separated signa towards the base of
the bursa, sometimes within a more general zone of sclerotisation. However, in
the conflictaria group the bursa is generally spined in a manner like
that of many larentiine geometrids. The ductus is always very long.
The larvae are
rather short, stout, appearing rugose from the pronounced chalazae: a number are
described briefly in the specific accounts following.
They have been
reared from a variety of plant families, though with some indication of
specialisation at the level of species-group e.g. the subalbata Guenée
group on Daphniphyllaceae, the moza Butler group on Caprifoliaceae, and
the conflictaria Walker group on Annonaceae. Chen (1997) noted a new
species as feeding on Paulownia in the Scrophulariaceae, and D.
quadricaudata Walker comb. n. is recorded from several Rubiaceae.
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