Fibiger, Fibiger, 2007

Fibiger, Michael, 2007, Revision of the Micronoctuidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea). Part 1, Taxonomy of the Pollexinae, Zootaxa 1567 (1), pp. 1-116 : 40-41

GENUS POLLEX Fibiger , new genus

Type-species Pollex crispus Fibiger, new species, described below.

Taxanomic notes. This is the most species-rich of all Micronoctuidae genera. It comprises three new subgenera, 11 species-groups, and 46 species of which 45 are described as new below.

Diagnosis. Generally described under the subfamily.

Although the three subgenera are defined by many apomorphic character states, the majority of features are shared by Pollex , Bilobiana and Proma , so they are treated as subgenera rather than as genera.

Further characters are listed here, apomophic character states are marked by (apo.).

Imago (external).

Resting position: wings flat, horizontal; ventral edge of forwings slightly overlapping (see plate 8, fig. 4). Colour: head, patagia, and base of costa blackish brown (apo.).

Transverse lines: present, light brown or dark brown, each line indcated at costa by a black dot.

Reniform: well marked, yellowish or whitish grey, outlined by black.

Hindwing: with an indistinct black discal spot.

Male hindleg: hair-like brushes on tibia usually absent, reduced, if present.

Male genitalia.

Genitalia: viewed from ventral side (plate 15, fig. 5) with phallus in natural position, shows that digitus and ampulla clasp laterally around female abdomen during mating, whereas pollex holds female body from ventral side.

Tergite and sternite: lightly sclerotised, without sclerotised processes.

Tegumen: relatively short; same length or slightly longer than vinculum (apo.).

Valve: much longer than wide (apo.).

Fultura superior fused with dorsal part of tegumen; ventral part of fultura superior fused with dorsal part of juxta-anellus plate.

Valve: much shorter than wide in subgenus Bilobiana ; longer than wide in subgenera Pollex and Proma . Digitus minute, smallest in subfamily (apo.).

Ampulla extremely narrow.

Pollex enormous, sickle-like, upturned (apo.).

Phallus very long.

Female genitalia.

Posterior half of abdominal segments 6–8: heavily sclerotised, totally fused.

Ovipositor lobe: quadrangular.

Interlobal round patch: often present between ovipositor lobes; with long hair-like setae.

Antrum: short, straight or coiled, slightly to heavily sclerotised.

Corpus bursa: globular (elongated in one species-group); with +-shaped signum.

Differential diagnosis. The wingspan for the 46 included species is 8–11 mm, averaging smaller than those of Tolpia and Disca (two species of subgenus Proma are larger, 15 mm). Both forewings and hindwings are narrower than those of Tolpia and Disca . The basal area of the forewing costa is black brown, whereas in Tolpia and Disca it is black only at the base of the wing. The reniform is laterally squeezed, whereas in Tolpia and Disca it is narrow. The valvae are usually shorter than wide in the subgenus Bilobiana , but not in the subgenera Pollex , and Proma . The pollex is much larger than those of Tolpia and Disca . The fultura superior is fused with the juxta-anellus plate; in Tolpia and Disca the fultura superior is not recogniseable.

Distribution. Mainly in the Oriental and Indo-Australian Regions.