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Pseudosphetta Hampson
Type
species: moorei Cotes
& Swinhoe, India.
The
forewing shape and facies of this genus has some superficial resemblance to that
of the notodontid genus Sphetta Walker,
discussed by Holloway (1989: 208), in being dark brown with a paler brown to
creamy fawn patch on the costa near the apex. This is more elongate in Sphetta
and
reaches the apex rather than stopping subapically, and is more regular, though
it has a dentate extension in the centre of the wing. Such extensions in Pseudosphetta
are
more distal and at the apex of the mark, which does not extend to the apex along
the costa. The male antennae are bipectinate in Pseudosphetta but
ciliate in Sphetta,
and the legs are conspicuously tufted with scales particularly the foretarsi and
the fore- and hindtibiae. The labial palps have the third segment short, only
one third the length of the second, which is broadened apically by longer
scales.
The male
abdomen has the eighth segment of the framed corematous type but not
particularly extreme in form. The genitalia have an elongate, slender uncus that
is slightly thicker over its central part, and with fine, basally directed setae
along its length. The tegumen is significantly longer than the vinculum. The
juxta appears to be of the inverted ‘V’ type, but the bands on each side are
rather broad. The valves are paddle-like, but with much greater curvature of the
costal margin. There is a complex series of short processes from the sacculus to
the costa around the distal margin of a slight lacuna dorsal to the sacculus;
these may show bilateral asymmetry, usually in the more basal of the two
saccular processes. The aedeagus vesica is broader than long, with numerous
short diverticula and areas of scobination.
The
female genitalia have the ostium associated with the anterior of the eighth
segment, flanked by scobinate lobes, broad, with the sclerotised two-thirds of
the ductus tapering away from it in a funnel. The distal third of the ductus is
membranous, expanding slightly to join the ovate corpus bursae. This has the
ductus seminalis arising subbasally from it on a slightly coiled, short appendix
bursae. Slightly spined longitudinal ridges occur in the base of the bursa of
the type species, whereas in fissisigna Hampson
there is an incomplete and slightly oblique ring of scobination subbasally.
The
biology of the type species is described below.
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