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SUBFAMILY
ARAEOPTERONINAE |
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This subfamily was formally described by Fibiger in Fibiger & Lafontaine (2005), but based on a more extensive account of the Araeopteron Hampson group of genera by Fibiger & Hacker (2001). It contains genera with very small species previously included in the Acontiinae (Nye, 1975). The forewing is narrow, apically produced, and the hindwing is shorter, but usually also narrow, triangular, the apex acute. The postmedial of the forewing tends to be closely associated with the discal spot and looped round it, the discal spot being slightly basal to the centre of the costal margin. Despite the small size of the species, there has been no reduction in the venation, and the radial sector of the forewing is generally branched. The male genitalia have an unusual arrangement of the tegumen and vinculum, the former short, broad but with a central twist that forms an additional articulation to that of the tegumen with the vinculum, and the uncus is also broadly hinged basally with the tegumen. It is possible that the sections of the ring of tegumen and vinculum that occur laterally immediately dorsal to the vinculum could represent an enlarged paratergal sclerite. Also, do the broad strap‑like sclerites dorsal to these that converge at the base of the slender uncus form part of the uncus or comprise the short tegumen. In A. canescens Walker (see below), the articulation of these on each side with the lateral sclerites is further complicated by the presence of a curved spine (see also Holloway, 1979: fig. 100).The valves are narrow, strap‑like, most strongly sclerotised along the saccular margin which extends the length of the valve and may give rise to interior processes. The female genitalia have a small, raised, sometimes sclerotised patch or cone bearing long hair-like setae that is associated with the ovipositor lobes (Fibiger & Agassiz, 2001). The corpus bursae contains a single signum of varying character, but often conical. The ductus bursae is relatively long and slender; at the point of its junction with the corpus bursae, the latter has a slight lobe that gives rise to the ductus seminalis. The group is pantropical, but a few species extend into temperate latitudes. It is currently under study by M. Fibiger who has already described Araeopteron diehli Fibiger (2000) from Sumatra, so comments on the Bornean fauna here will be restricted to the few genera and species already named that occur there. The additional genera included here are mostly represented by extremely limited material, in two cases by a single female, so it has not been possible to assess completely their placement in this subfamily, though Fibiger (pers. comm.) supports the inclusion of Acidaliodes Hampson and Hyriodes Hampson. |
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