Aegilia Walker, 1857

Qi, Feng, Wang, Ke, Xue, Dayong & Yang, Ding, 2011, A taxonomic revision of the Stictopterinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea, Noctuidae) in China, Zootaxa 2926, pp. 1-45 : 9-10

Genus Aegilia Walker, 1857

Aegilia Walker, 1857 , List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 13: 1138. Type-species: Aegilia describens Walker, 1857 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. The genus is distinct from the other genera and best characterized by the incurved base of the costal margin of the forewing. The male genitalia are specialized by the following characters: the socii are present, the valva is divided into two arms which connected by a membranous webbing, and the webbing extended to the ends of both arms; the valva bears coremata basally.

Description. Head. Distance between compound eyes same as eye diameter. Frons yellowish-brown, with short erected scales. Antenna brown, always with a cluster of circular erected scales around the base of antenna. Vertex brown, often with erected scales. Labial palpus extended beyond frons, tip sometimes extended over compound eyes, the second segment always elongate, the third segment short. Thorax. Tegulae greyish-brown, sometimes mixed with black scales; patagia longer than half of mesothorax. Legs greyish or blackish-brown, outer side darker than inner side, segments ends grey. Wing shape and venation. Forewing triangular and elongate, costal margin incurved basally, outer margin arch-like, apex slightly pointed. Hindwing small, both costal margin and anal margin straight, apex and tornus rounded, outer margin sometimes slightly incurved between CuA2 and 3A. In forewing venation: R1 free; R3, R4 and R5 stalked, diverging from upper angle of cell, R5 diverging before basal one third of stalk; R3 and R4 separate after terminal one third of stalk; R3-5 and R2 connected by a short vein, formed an areole before upper angle of cell. Hindwing venation: Rs and M1 diverging from upper angle of cell; M2 diverging slightly before lower angle of cell, M3 and CuA1 diverging from lower angle of cell ( Fig. 4 ). Wing-pattern. Forewing always greyish-brown, with black patches. Hindwing blackish-brown with basal half transparent, left veins black. Underside: forewing always yellowish-brown; hindwing same as the upper side, but paler colored. Abdomen. Greyish-brown, sometimes every segment with a black spot dorsally. Male genitalia. Uncus triangular. Tegumen with short socii. Gnathos short, connected at middle. Valva divided into two arms, connected by a membranous, draped webbing extended to the ends of both arms, sacculus always with a diversified harpe basally. Coremata present at base of valva. Juxta inverted U-shaped. Aedeagus short, vesica with small spines terminally. Female genitalia. Ovipositor short and wide, with long hairs, sometimes with bulges around ostium bursae. Ductus bursae long, sometimes strongly sclerotized posteriorly. Appendix bursae absent. Corpus elliptic, signum as a sclerotized patch, scobinate, with interior, acute process centrally.

Distribution. Oriental and Australian regions.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 11. Venations. 3. Stictoptera signifera. 4. Aegilia describens. 5. Gyrtona lapidarioides. 6. Odontodes aleuca. 7. Lophoptera squammilinea. 8. Lophoptera longipennis. 9. Diascoides ferruginea. 10 – 11. Sigmuncus arcuata. 10, male; 11, female.