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SUBFAMILY
AEDIINAE |
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Some preliminary observations on this group were presented by Holloway (2005: 26-27), as it fell within the traditional concept of the Ophiderinae. A distinction was made between true catocalines such as Catephia Ochsenheimer that had traditionally been intermingled with Aedia Hübner, a suite of related genera that are here combined with Aedia, and Mosara Walker Gen. rev., erroneously combined with Callopistria Hübner by Holloway (1989). Holloway (2005) suggested that a relationship between Aediinae and Eriopinae (Callopistria) was worth investigating. This was tested by in a wider exploration of the relationships of the Eriopinae (S.-H. Yen, pers. comm.), and was not substantiated. Fibiger in Goater et al. (2003) placed the Aediinae as a subtribe of the Catocalini, but subsequently (Fibiger & Lafontaine, 2005) rejected this placement, transferring the group with tribal status to the Acontiinae, a placement followed by Lafontaine & Fibiger (2006). The thoracic tympanal organ has an enlarged alula and reduced tympanal hood as in Acontia, the only clear synapomorphies, and the interpretation of the tympanal sclerite by Speidel et al. (1996) as a true noctuid epaulette was rejected by Fibiger & Lafontaine (2005). The pair of tufts of weak spines dorsally on the male scaphium that characterises other Acontiinae (see p. 43) is not present in Aedia. Aedia differs markedly from the Acontiini and the Armadini (the Hypercalymniini have not been examined) in many other features. The valves lack a lacuna just distal to the dorsal saccular margin that is characteristic of Acontia. The dorsal saccular margin, though sclerotised, has protuberances and is adjacent to the juxta rather than set away internally on the valve. The valves have strong basal coremata, not seen in Acontia or the Armadini. Other unusual features of the male genitalia include: a radula-like structure dorsal to the anellus; the valve has a short, submarginal corona; the juxta is often w-shaped. The male eighth segment has the sternite much shorter than the tergite and with a small central lacuna that has a single weak corema in a few species; in Acontia and the Armadini, the sclerites are more equal, and the sternite has a strong pair of coremata. The female genitalia offer no clear pointers to relationships, but the bursa copulatrix can be generally scobinate in Acontiini and is narrow, elongate, corrugate over the basal part in typical Armadini, with a pronounced funnel-like antrum to the ductus bursae. In the Aediinae the corpus bursae can be thickened and corrugated, but is lacking a signum or scobination in Aedia, though there is weak scobination in Ecpatia Turner (see below). Larvae of Acontia and the Armadini (Wiltshire, 1979) have the first two pairs of prolegs reduced or lost, whereas all are fully developed in Aedia. Holloway (2005: 27) indicated that many other species of the traditional concept of Catephia should be transferred to Ecpatia Turner, and that this genus also had features more characteristic of true noctuids than of the Catocalinae. It is here also included tentatively in the Aediinae. The valves of the male genitalia have a corona as in Aedia, but it is more substantial, and otherwise the genitalia are very different, including the presence of a prominent peniculus. The forewing facies of Ecpatia and the prominent peniculus of the male genitalia are shared with Sundanian taxa currently in Chytonix Grote. These are discussed on pp. 55 and 59, together with several species with similar male genitalia discussed by Holloway (1989). The male eighth sternite in some species has a single central corema. The genus is discussed further on p. 55. Another (probably unrelated) species discarded from Catephia is treated on p. 60. |
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