Melanthia mandshuricata (Bremer) Bremer, 2011

Viidalepp, Jaan, 2011, A morphological review of tribes in Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), Zootaxa 3136, pp. 1-44 : 17-18

Tribe Melanthiini Duponchel, 1845

( Figs 58–61 )

To delimit the genera (as Melanthiinae), Pierce (1914) used characters as follows: valva well developed, complex (i.e. with projections from costal and saccular regions, rich vestiture) ( Fig. 58 ); labides present; uncus weak, not produced; genitalia of robust form; the presence of coremata on the ninth abdominal segment; labides similar to those in Eupitheciini ; large, bulbed and sclerotized ductus bursae and spined bursa ( Fig. 60 ).

Some other apomorphic modifications of male genitalia include: juxta in male large and broad, even tending bipartite, much less chitinized than in Eupitheciini ; labides arise laterally from juxta and lean against the base of costa; valva with costa concave and setose comb-like; aedeagus flattened dorsoventrally, sometimes coecum bilobed;

complex ornamentation to the tip of sacculus (probably homologous with that in Rheumapterini ), sometimes asymmetrical.

In summary, the Melanthiini differ from Eupitheciini in build of male and female genitalia, in rich ornamentation of valva, large saw-shaped dentate structures in ductus bursae, food plant association with Ranunculaceae as far as is known. Melanthia mandshuricata (Bremer) , comb. n. is here trasfered from Mesoleuca Hübner (Larentiini) according to its genitalia characters ( Fig. 59 ). Holloway (1997) grouped Collix Guenée and Pseudocollix Warren with Eupitheciini (like Forbes 1948 and Ferguson 1983), arguing over the presence of long coremata between segments A6 and A7 and shorter ones between A7 and A8, associated with membranization of corresponding sternites and tergites. The described apodeme on sternite A6, the facies of the striated or pleated valva with costal ornamentation and long vestiture are somewhat curious in the context of Eupitheciini (e.g., Eccymatoge morphna , Fig. 61 ), and fit better with the Melanthiini . The shapes of signum and saw-toothed sclerite in bursa in Oriental Collix species fit better those in the Melanthiini .

The two African specimens studied ought to be determined as Collix according to the raised black scale pattern at forewing discal spot and the shape of signum in Collix foraminata Guenée ( Fig. 60 ), while the male genital capsule of Collix muscosata Fletcher is similar to that of Palaearctic Horisme species up to slight asymmetry of saccular ornamentation of their valves. Pierce included Melanthia Duphonchel , Horisme Hübner and Coenocalpe Hübner (also Euphyia , probably merely due to the shape of uncus) in his Melanthinae.

Distribution: Holarctic, that of Collix and allied forms (e.g. Eccymatoge Prout ) Afrotropical and Indo-Australian region.

Figures

FIGURES 58 – 61, Male and female genitalia of Melanthiini. 58, Male genitalia and posterior abdominal segments of Collix muscosata Fletcher (Tanzania); 59, male genitalia and aedeagus of Melanthia mandshuricata (Bremer) (Yakutia); 60, female genitalia of Collix foraminata Guenee (Tanzania); 61, male genitalia of Eccymatoge morphna Turner (Tasmania).