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Synegia Guenée
Type species: botydaria Guenée.
Synonyms: Eugnesia Warren (type species correspondens Warren,
Philippines to New Caledonia); Syntaracta Warren (type species hadassa
Butler, Japan).
Species in this genus have pale yellow wings distinctively banded and
speckled with orange or reddish grey. Many species have the fasciae emphasised
by black dots on the vesica. Black dots also occur at the disc and margins of
most species, though the type species lacks black markings. Some have more
extensive black suffusion or clouding, and this can be variable within a
species. The build is delicate, legs and abdomen (in the male) often elongate.
The male antennae can be filiform or bipectinate.
The male genitalia are distinctive with long slender valves, the
setation and costal processes typical of the group with peg-like setae, though
these last are only seen in S. camptogrammaria Guenée amongst the
Bornean species. These are no coremata on the valves. The uncus is tapering,
slender, apically acute, with both socii and a weak, gnathal ring. The vinculum
is distally deep, often bilobed. The aedeagus vesica is narrow, bearing one, two
or three strong cornuti.
The female genitalia have the ductus short, sclerotised, leading into a
narrow, elongate basal section of the bursa, often fluted. The distal part of
the bursa is globular to elongate, with a small to moderate irregularly spined
signum that is not mushroom-like, more a thickening of the bursa wall in many
species, though a rather conical, mushroom-like disc occurs in S. decolorata Warren.
The signum is absent in S. punctinervis Holloway where the bursa is
short, pyriform with fluting over the basal two thirds.
The larvae of Japanese species have been described by Sato (1973), and
are illustrated by Sugi (1987). They are somewhat spindle-shaped, green, often
with longitudinal white lines, particularly dorsolaterally, and pale posterior
margins to the segments.
Japanese species have been reared mostly from Ilex (Aquifoliaceae)
but with one (or a distinct host race; Sato) also on Abelia (Caprifoliaceae)
(Sato 1973; Sato & Nakajima, 1975). One Bornean species has been
reared from Piper (Piperaceae) as discussed below.
The genus is widespread in the Oriental Region, ranging from the Indian
subcontinent to Japan, and extending east as far as New Caledonia. It has its
greatest diversity in Sundaland, particularly Borneo.
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