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The facies of the two Bornean genera included in this tribe is strikingly different, with extreme sexual dimorphism shown by both. The Asian genus Metopta Swinhoe may also be referable, resembling Erebus somewhat in forewing facies; the larva has a similar dorsolateral ocellus on each side of A1 (Mutuura et al., 1983). The male antennae are ciliate but the legs are not conspicuously tufted. The labial palps are long, the third segment as long as the second but about one third of the width.In the male abdomen, the posterior margin of the eighth sternite is deeply cleft rendering it strongly bilobed. There is a scaphium that occupies a relatively subbasal position on the uncus due to the large ventral lacuna at the base of the latter. This is not as extreme, however, as in the Scoliopterygini (p. 213). The valves have hair-pencils (Lygniodes Guenée) or coremata (Erebus Latreille). The juxta structure appears to be a broadened and shortened version of the inverted ‘V’ type, but this is not always clear. In the female, the ostium is situated variably between the seventh and eighth segments, but the sternite of the former is reduced in size, rounded distally, with the posterior angles of the tergite converging from each side. The corpus bursae is heavily corrugated in some species, of various shapes, but always with the ductus seminalis arising from near the base. Species in both genera come rarely to light and are more often disturbed in the understorey of forests by day or encountered during crepuscular periods. The adults of Erebus pierce fruit (Bänziger, 1982). Fibiger (2003) placed Erebus in his Calpinae and Lygniodes in his Catocalinae; the latter has splayed apodemes on the male eighth tergite whereas the former does not, so this placement might also be reversed if the two genera prove not to be related. Comments on nomenclatural problems concerning the priority of Erebini in relation to Catocalini and Calpini are discussed on p. 5. Gardner (1947) noted that larvae in the group had four external setae on the larval prolegs rather than the usual three. This is also seen in the Hypopyrini (p. 125) and the genera Bamra Moore (p. 150) and Thalatta Walker (p. 284). |
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