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Oxyodes Guenée
Type
species: scrobiculata Fabricius,
India.
Species
of Oxyodes
have
triangular forewings with irregular fasciation and a large reniform stigma. The
hindwings are characteristically yellower with the costal half black, the black
curving slightly round distally before being reduced to two to three narrow and
irregular fasciae; a similar fascia may be present also interior to these. There
is a variably sized black patch on the forewing underside near the tornus. The
male antennae are ciliate. Females usually have heavier markings on the
underside. There is a ‘pseudepaulette’ in the tympanal cavity, and a similar
feature is found in Catephia Ochsenheimer (p. 84); this is not
considered homologous with that seen in trifine noctuid subfamilies (Speidel et
al.,
1996a).
The male
abdomen has the eighth segment unmodified. The genitalia have features that are
consistent with association with the Ophiusini, particularly the valve which has
a massive process from the base of the costa with a ventral connection to the
apical part of the sacculus; it also has a long corema at the base. The uncus is
accompanied by a scaphium. The juxta is of the inverted ‘Y’ type. The
aedeagus has a small, unornamented but convolute vesica.
The
female genitalia have the seventh sternite reduced, very narrow, and it appears
fused posteriorly with the ostium which itself gives rise to a slender spine on
each side. The sides of the seventh tergite are rounded and closely associated
with the sternite. The ductus is sclerotised up to the neck of the corpus bursae
where the ductus seminalis is situated on a slight swelling. The neck distal to
this remains narrow before expanding into a pyriform distal part that has a weak
area of scobination on one side.
The
genus consists of the type species and the Australian O.
tricolor Guenée.
There is also O. ochracea Pagenstecher from Ambon in the Moluccas, but this
could be merely a further race of the type species.
The
biology of the type species is described below; the larva is also of the general
ophiusine type.
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