Lacanobia Billberg, 1820

Han, H. L. & Kononenko, V. S., 2017, Two new species of the family Noctuidae from China (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Zootaxa 4338 (2), pp. 385-392 : 387-389

Genus Lacanobia Billberg, 1820

Enumeratio Insectorum in Museo G.J. Billberg: 87. Type species: Phalaena w-latinum Hufnagel [Germany] Berlin. Synonymy: Diataraxia Hübner (subgenus), Peucephila Hampson , Dianobia Behounek (subgenus); Alinobia Beck ; Contranobia Beck.

Diagnosis. Medium sized moths. Frons smooth; eyes cowered with dense hairs; proboscis well developed; antennae of male simple, ciliated; labial palps short, upturned, pressed, 3rd segment four times shorter then 2nd; tibia unarmed, epiphysis nearly half of foretibia, tarsi with three rows of setae. Forewing elongate, ground colour varies from reddish-brown to grey or blackish; wing maculation includes main elements of Noctuidae pattern. In the male genitalia uncus moderately long, thin, tegumen almost equal to vinculum, usually with peniculus lobes; fixed peniculus hairs present; valva usually elongate, rather narrow; with distinct neck of cucullus; cucullus variable in shape, frequently acute, apex of cucullus rounded or hook-like pointed; sacculus moderate in size, elongate; clasper as longitudinal or transversal rib, in the subgenus Dianobia with outward directed process; harpe, if present small to moderate, usually positioned in distal part of valva; digitus in many cases presented. Aedeagus moderate and stout, usually curved; vesica tubular, usually coiled, bearing variable in shape cornuti (single one in subgenus Lacanobia , patch of moderate cornuti in the subgenus Dianobia , or complex cornuti in some species). In the female genitalia ovipositor elongate, papillae anales short, quadrangular; ostium positioned in deep vaginal sinus; ductus bursae usually flattened, sclerotised; appendix bursae presents mainly in the subgenus Dianobia ; corpus bursae membranous, bearing four ribbon-like signa.

The genus is divided into the subgenera Lacanobia (s. str.), Diataraxia and Dianobia .

The genus Lacanobia has the Holarctic distribution, containing 26 species, among them 22 are distributed in the Palaearctic and 4 in the Nearctic; in China it represented by 15 species.

The genus has been revised by Behounek (1993); the European Lacanobia has been revised by Hacker et al (2002); Nearctic species have been revised by McCabe (1980). Recently two new species of Lacanobia from Sichuan province of China have been described by Gyulai et al. (2011).