|
This group was first identified by Warren (1894) as his subfamily
Scardamiinae. It would appear to consist of the type genus, Scardamia Guenée,
and possibly also Aplochlora Warren from the Indo-Australian tropical
fauna. Warren originally included the African genus Melinoessa Herrich-Schäffer
(as Hyphenophora Warren) and the Neotropical genera Hypoplectis Hübner
(as Angeronopsis Warren), Ballantiophora Butler, Leuciris Warren
and Stenoleuca Warren (currently a synonym of Leuciris), but
provided no definition of the group or reasons for associating these with Scardamia.
In fact, all four genera probably belong to other tribes. Males of the
type species of each were dissected. Melinoessa has the genitalia
features and bar- shaped retinaculum of the Thinopterygini
. Hypoplectis
has the valve shape and setation characteristic of the major generic
grouping in the Oriental Baptini. The remaining genera have genitalia as
in the Cassymini, and also the reduction in forewing radial vein number
that characterises that tribe. Gyostega Warren and Berberodes Guenée
are probably also Neotropical cassymines.
Thus the definition of the tribe is essentially that of the genus Scardamia.
The male antennae are bipectinate, those of the female filiform. The
chaetosemata extend in a narrow zone dorsally across the head as in the more
derived macariines (See Macariini). In the forewing R1 has a common stalk with R2
before it separates and fuses with Sc, diverging from it again more distally.
The ground colour of the wings is orange, traversed by darker, brownish striae
and fasciae. The latter consist of strong postmedials on both wings, edged
distad with iridescent scales, and a weaker antemedial. There are similarly
iridescent dashes in the spaces just submarginally. There are dark discal spots
on both wings, and the whole upperside pattern is reproduced below but paler.
The male abdomen lacks a setal comb on sternite 3. In the genitalia the
gnathus and socii are present but weak. The valves are simple, sparsely setose
distally, with the sacculi ornamented with triangular flaps on either side of a
deep pouch formed by their fusion. The vinculum and basal part of the valves are
diagnostically elongated, supporting lateral coremata. In the aedeagus of the
type species there is a mass of cornuti but other species have a more slender
aedeagus lacking cornuti.
In the female genitalia (iographa Prout examined) the ductus is
narrow, unsclerotised, half the length of the pyriform bursa which contains a
signum of typical ennomine form, elliptical, broadly based, moderately finely
and irregularly spined.
Aplochlora shares the vinculum and corematous structure of Scardamia, and
has weak socii, but lacks the other distinguishing features of the genitalia
such as the saccular pouch. The valves are simple, ovate, only sparsely setose.
The forewing venation has R1 fusing with Sc and then separating distally, but
the involvement of R2 is less clear. R2 separates from Rs further towards the
apex, though there is a weak oblique cross vein from R1 to Rs just beyond its
divergence from Sc.
Both genera have had members of the Flacourtiaceae recorded as larval
host-plants.
Singh (1953) keyed out Scardamia with Fascellina (Hypochrosini)
on the basis of presence of five, rather than four (the most commonly found
condition in Geometridae), external setae on the ventral proleg. The group
therefore shares with the Hypochrosini both this feature and the unusual
elongation of the vinculum to support coremata.
>>Forward
<<Return to Contents page
|
