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Stenopterygia
Hampson
Type
species: subcurva Walker, Sri Lanka.
This
genus holds together rather weakly on a number of features shared between some,
but not all the species.
In the male the
basal trifine hair pencils are present; lateral rods are present on the eighth
sternite. There are costal processes on the valve, bilaterally asymmetric, in
the type species but not in others. The peniculus of the tegumen is expanded
into an elongate lobe bearing numerous long scales (the type species, calida,
khasiana). The corona is weak (calida, kebeae Bethune-Baker (New
Guinea)) or lacking (type species, khasiana). The sacculus is broad,
bifid in calida, khasiana and, with modifications, in kebeae, but
is narrow, single, bilaterally asymmetric in subcurva. The aedeagus
vesica has a single distal cornutus in subcurva, kebeae and calida. The
Fijian S. nausoriensis Robinson, is close in morphology to kebeae.
The female genitalia
of the type species have a broad, convolute, finely scobinate lamella
antevaginalis. The ductus bursae is broad, long, sclerotised, also finely
scobinate. The bursa is shorter than the ductus, scobinate and corrugate
throughout, but with a short, band-like sector more strongly sclerotised. The
ovipositor lobes are narrow, triangular. In calida the lamella
antevaginalis is very small, square. The ductus is short, sclerotised and
slightly scobinate, without a more strongly sclerotised band. In neither species
is there an appendix bursae.
The general facies
is brown, the forewings with a 'ligneous' pattern, the tornal zone having
pattern elements that resemble those of Dipterygina Sugi.
The larva of the
type species has been recorded in India (Bell, MS). The larva is typically
trifine, with only primary setae, broadest and humped at A8. The head is
orange-red, the body smooth (apart from primary setae) and mainly black. There
is a lateral orange patch on T1 and extensive orange on A8 and the rear part of
A10. Each setae is based on a white dot, and there is a liberal scattering of
white dots on each segment. There is a lunulate, broken, orange, subspiracular
band from Al to A8.
The larva lives on
the underside of a leaf of the host-plant, its head turned round to one side
when at rest. If disturbed, it falls to the ground. It eats the young leaves.
Pupation is in the soil in a tough oval cocoon of white silk covered with earth
particles.
The host-plant is Ochna
(Ochnaceae).
Stenopterygia rufitincta Hampson, described from a single male from Sandakan, Borneo, has
quadrifine hindwing venation, no basal trifine hair pencil and atypical apodemes
on the basal sternite. The genitalia are also more typical of some quadrifine
noctuid groups (e.g. a multilobed, scobinate aedeagus). This species is
therefore excluded from this treatment and will be reexamined when the
quadrifine subfamilies are investigated.
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