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Phlogophora
Treitschke
Type
species: meticulosa Linnaeus, Palaearctic.
Synonyms:. Brotolomia Lederer, Racoptera Scott, Solenoptera Duponchel
(praeocc.) (type species meticulosa); Chutapha Moore (type species costalis
Moore, India); Habryntis Lederer (type species scita Hubner,
Europe); Mesolomia Smith (type species iris Guenee, N. America); Oroplexia
Hampson syn. n. (type species decorata Moore, Himalaya); Madeuplexia
Viette syn. n. (type species pretiosa Viette, Madagascar).
A
large number of tropical montane taxa that, from their shared features of male
genitalia, are obviously congeneric have been described in the past
indiscriminately in the genera Trachea Ochsenheimer and Euplexia Stephens.
Holloway (1976) brought a number together within Euplexia and explored
the limits of the group further in a later paper (Holloway, 1987). It ranges
through Africa and the Indo-Australian tropics (mostly montane taxa) to
temperate zones of Australia. Further taxa (in Madeuplexia) occur in the
mountains of Madagascar. The genus Euplexia has as type species the
Palearctic lucipara Linnaeus in which the male genitalia do not share the
features of the group: the cucullus is well separate from the sacculus which has
a strongly produced distal angle: the costal process is broadly triangular and
underlies the harpe to fill the gap between the sacculus and cucullus.
In
taxa of the group the valves are elongate, entire, with a corona on the ventral
side of the apex. The costa is often bowed; the costal process is very broadly
based and extends ventrally across the valve lamina as a (usually triangular)
process that reaches or extends beyond the ventral margin of the valve. The
harpe is a long, sometimes sinuous, often spine-like process that lies over the
costal process and usually extends beyond the costal margin of the valve. The
juxta usually has a central umbo or spine. The subscaphium is sclerotised and
sometimes bears spines. The aedeagus vesica is long, with one or two cornuti or
scobinate sclerotisations near the base, often on lateral lobes. The trifine
scent pencils are well developed at the base of the abdomen, and interior to the
apodemes of the basal sternite is often a pair of thin, rather leaf-like flaps
(groups B and C below).
In
the female genitalia there is a strong appendix bursae, and the ductus can be
expanded into a broad pocket at the ostium (strong in meticulosa and contrasta,
weak in emphanes). Four band-like signa are present in contrasta and
emphanes but not in meticulosa. These features serve to bring all
this group into Phlogophora, though within it there is scope for
subdivision based on variation on the general theme. For example, a number of
groupings can be recognised in the Bornean species:
A.
Black and white species with two patches of scobination rather than cornuti at
the base of the aedeagus vesica; the juxta has a short to medium scobinate
ampulla. (nigroplumbea Warren, styx Holloway).
B.
Species with the process on the juxta broad, triangular, scobinate; harpe
usually broad, sickle-like or sinuous; vesica with two cornuti basally (isoscelata
Prout, kinabalua Holloway, muluensis sp. n, lignosa Holloway).
C.
Species with
the process from the juxta a long spine; harpe long and slender; vesica usually
with two basal cornuti and a distal zone of coarser scobination (discalis Warren,
emphanes Prout, triangula Holloway, magma Holloway, viridivena
Holloway, contrasta Holloway).
Whilst
the first group is widespread in the Oriental Region, the other two appear to be
strictly Sundanian.
The
biology of the type species was described by Carter (1988: 267). The larva is a
polyphagous feeder on leaves and flowers, attacking many plants of economic
importance.
All
Bornean taxa are montane, found almost entirely above1000m.
In
New Guinea there are a number of taxa, e.g. in the genus Clavipalpa Joicey
& Talbot, and species in Euplexia such as aemulans Warren,
with facies comparable to the Bornean Phlogophora but which lack the
costal process on the valve. The aedeagus vesica has one or two dense clusters
of spicules that may be homologous with the cornuti or scobinate patches in Phlogophora.
The juxta has a central process as in Phlogophora. These taxa may
represent an Australasian lineage within Phlogophora where the costal
process has been lost.
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