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Warreniplema Gen. n.
Type species: fumicosta Warren.
Species in this genus have traditionally been referred to Gathynia Walker
(type species miraria Walker, Sri Lanka) or Phazaca, but have
several features that distinguish them from those genera.
The forewings have an unusually strongly looped pattern of antemedial
and postmedial fasciae, the hindwing having both fasciae conspicuous and angled.
The forewing has M1 and R5 arising separately from the cell rather than being
stalked. The hindwing costal zone is shallowly excavate in a manner typical of
the subfamily; the margin has a moderate tail at Rs and a weaker one at M3. Vein
M2 is present, and there is no reduction of anterior cubital veins in the male.
The male antennae are densely uniserrate, lamellate, and the male hindwing has a
slender hair pencil in the anal area arising from a small subbasal plate. The
venation in that area is somewhat modified as in Phazaca, and, even in
the female, CuA2 arises from a relatively basal position.
The male abdomen has the eighth segment somewhat ballooned around the
genital capsule. The genitalia are short, the uncus long, slender, curved,
apically acute. The valves are triangular, narrowly acute at the apex, and with
two diagnostic tufts of paddle-like scales externally on each, arising
subcostally and in the saccular region subbasally. The vinculum is narrow,
indented. In Gathynia the uncus is vestigial, the valves rather reniform,
with a slightly corematous hair pencil at the base of the sacculus, and a full
covering of fine setae over the interior of the valve directed dorsally; the
valve costa terminates in a spine.
In the female the bursa is slender, pyriform, with a constricted, darkly
scobinate area at the base that merges into a short, sclerotised but unspined
ductus. There is no signum. In Gathynia the bursa is much more complex,
elongate, with an unusual bilobed sclerotisation centrally.
As well as the type species, the genus includes W. divaricata Warren
comb. n. (Sulawesi), W. ferrugata Walker comb. n. (Sri Lanka) and
an undescribed species from N.E. India (Khasis; slide 472).
The type species has been reared from the family Rubiaceae (See
Warreniplema
fumicosta Warren comb.n.).
The adult resting posture is as in Phazaca and Monobolodes.
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