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Racotis Moore
Type species: boarmiaria Guenée.
Species in this genus all have a typically irregularly mottled facies,
rufous brown or brown on fawn, with the fasciae and discal markings obscure.
Only the postmedial is relatively distinct, crenulate, but irregular. On the
underside the discal spots and the zone distal to the postmedials are dark
brown, the rest of the wings pale fawn.
The male antennae are usually strongly ciliate over the basal two thirds
and occasionally weakly bipectinate. There is a strong, rather triangular fovea.
The setal comb on the third sternite is present. In the male genitalia the uncus
is bifid in most species (entire in R. inconclusa Walker and allies) and
the valve is distally rather narrow, consisting of only the cucullus towards the
apex. A generic feature is a prominent, interiorly directed spur subbasally on
the sacculus. The vesica in most species bears a clump of slender spines at the
apex of a distal diverticulum.
In the female genitalia there is a narrow triangular zone of
sclerotisation ventrally between the ovipositor lobes. The ductus is
unsclerotised though there is a transverse lamella antevaginalis at the ostium.
The bursa is elongated, fluted and sclerotised over all but a short apical
sector. The signum is absent.
The larva is relatively short, robust, green or brownish green, usually
with a paler lateral line (Sato, 1984a; Sugi, 1987).
Host-plant records are mostly from Lauraceae, one from Annonaceae. The
life history of R. inconclusa is described below. The Japanese R.
petrosa Butler has been recorded from Benzoin, Lindera and Parabenzoin
(Lauraceae) (Sato & Nakajima, 1975; Sato, 1984a).
The genus is most diverse in the Oriental tropics; a few species occur
in Africa and Madagascar. There are three in Borneo.
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