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Oraesia Guenée
Type
species: emarginata Fabricius,
India.
This
genus was briefly discussed by Bänziger (1983), who transferred a number of
mainly African and New World species into it from Calyptra
(Calpe).
The greatest diversity of the genus is found in the New World, though the type
species is Oriental.
The
forewing is much narrower than in Calyptra,
its distal margin angled centrally; the subbasal lobe on the dorsum is also more
angular in most species and often very pronounced. The patterning is more
irregular and often shows sexual dimorphism, with females being darker, less
rufous, more variegated. The pattern frequently includes a longitudinal
disruption along the cubital vein in the cell that may continue as a pale or
metallic streak along CuA2. On the costal side of this disruption the wing is
generally paler, and the strongest fascia is the oblique postmedial running into
the apex of the wing. On the dorsal side the antemedial is the most prominent
fascia, running obliquely from the subbasal lobe of the dorsum. The labial palps
are directed forwards and proportioned as in Calyptra,
though perhaps generally shorter. The male antennae are usually bipectinate.
In the
male abdomen, the eighth segment is of the framed corematous type, the pair of
coremata being well developed. The genitalia have the uncus and scaphium as in Calyptra.
The valves are simple, tongue-like, without any processes in the type species
but more often with a process interior to the sacculus that can be long,
slender, digitate, or robust. The juxta is a broad, lightly rugose plate with a
tent-like flange within it. The saccus is well developed. The aedeagus vesica is
large, finely scobinate, without marked diverticula; it often bears one or more
robust cornuti.
In the
female of the type species the ostium is situated between the seventh and eighth
segments but not particularly associated with either. The seventh sternite is
moderately reduced. The eighth segment has normal apodemes. The ductus is long,
sclerotised, ribbon-like, with some flexure distally. The bursa is ovate,
basally sclerotised, distally densely scobinate, and with a convolute central
structure.
Host
records for Oriental members of the genus (Robinson et
al.,
2001) have mostly from the Menispermaceae (Cissampelos,
Cocculus,
Stephania)
but there is one record from Lepisanthes in the Sapindaceae. Other records from this latter
family and from Myrtaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae and Vitaceae in Robinson et
al. are
probably of adult fruit-piercing.
From
Sundaland eastwards only the emarginata complex
(see below) and C. argyrosigna Moore
have been recorded. Records of the latter are disjunct, from the Indian
Subregion, Thailand, Java, New Guinea, Australia and the New Caledonia area
(Holloway, 1979; Nielsen et al., 1996), so it may prove to occur also in Borneo.
Both emarginata
and
argyrosigna
have
been noted to pierce fruit as adults in Thailand (Bänziger, 1982; Kuroko &
Lewvanich, 1993).
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