Genus Rhodostrophia Hübner, 1823

Rhodostrophia Hübner, 1823, Verzeichnis bekannter Schmetterlinge: 300. Type species: Phalaena calabra Petagna, 1786 .

Pellonia Duponchel, 1829, in Godart & Duponchel, Histoire naturelle des Lépidoptères ou Papillons de France, 7 (2): 109. Type species: Phalaena vibicaria Clerck, 1759 .

Delocharis Butler, 1883, Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 172. Type species: Delocharis herbicolens Butler, 1883 .

Apostates Warren, 1897, Novitates zoologicae, 4: 214.

Leptosidia Hampson, 1903, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 14: 653. Type species: Leptosidia araearia Hampson, 1903 .

Genus description (Prout 1913; Hausmann 2004; Cui et al. 2019; Rajaei et al. 2022a)

Adults are medium to large sized with 20–40 mm wingspan; antennae filiform in female, quadripectinate in male with long branches gradually decreasing in length towards the tips [Fig. 3a: (i)]. Frons slightly convex or protruded. Labial palpi short, stout, forwardly or upwardly directed and hardly reaching the frons. Proboscis well developed. Foretibia with or without median epiphyses [Fig. 3a: (iv)]. Midtibia with paired terminal spurs. Hindtibia [Fig. 3a: (v)] with or without hair pencil (variable in length) at the femoro-tibial joint; a pair of terminal tibial spur and either a single or paired median spur in male while all the four spurs present in female; a single ‘pseudospur’ (of unknown function) is often present as a densely scaled, club or rod-shaped projection with rounded tip.

Forewing with two areoles [except R. solitaria (Christoph, 1887)], vein R1 originating from the apex of 1 st areole at its junction with the 2 nd areole, veins R2–R4 stalked, arising from the apex of the 2 nd areole just above the origin of R5 (Rajaei et al. 2022a); apex acute or falcate; outer margin obliquely straight or slightly curved; usually pale ochreous to yellow or ochreous-grey or brown with either darker, sometimes suffused or tinged with rose-red to deep rose-red transverse lines. Hindwing with Sc basally curved, Rs and M1 shortly stalked, M3 and CuA1 separate (Rajaei et al. 2022a). Apex round; outer margin rounded, sometimes slightly protruded at M3; mostly paler than the forewing with markings more or less similar as of forewing. Underside paler and with rose-red to reddish or ochreous-grey to brown suffusion or irrorations with markings mostly similar to the upper side.

Male genitalia: Uncus elongated, slender, apically broader, setose, distal margin with a central concavity of varying depths, sometimes weekly sclerotised; the overall shape and characters diagnostic at the species level. Gnathos triangular, strongly sclerotised and medially elongated.Valva shape diagnostic, especially the characteristics of costal and distal margins; sacculus sclerotised, folded ventrad over the valva. Posterior margin of 8 th abdominal sternite bilobed and diagnostic. Aedeagus thin, elongated and curved; vesica membranous without cornuti or sometimes with small sclerotised patch having minute scobinations.

Female genitalia: Papillae anales either rounded or ovally-elongated; ductus bursae sclerotised, sometimes strongly curved or bent, length (in comparison to corpus bursae) and shape diagnostic; corpus bursae rounded or oval, often with diagnostic signum; shape of the 7 th sternite variable and diagnostic.

Immature stages: Larvae extremely long and slender; slightly tapered anteriorly with the face and sides of the head flattened; feed on low plants. Pupa slender, broadened anteriorly, and with elongated cremaster; a terminal pair of long and stout setae (D2) and three pairs of smaller and recurved setae before it (Prout 1913; Patočka 2003).

Distribution: Palearctic (chiefly), Oriental and Neotropical regions (Prout 1913; Suludere 1988; Ramos-González et al. 2018; Cui et al. 2019; Sihvonen et al. 2020; Rajaei et al. 2022a)

Diagnosis: Adults of Rhodostrophia and Tanaotrichia are easily distinguishable from other genera in the tribe Cyllopodini Kirby, 1892 . Both genera possess quadripectinate antennae in males and filiform in females, and they share similar basic schemes of wing venation and markings (Fig. 3b: FW, HW) (Prout 1913, 1938). Rhodostrophia has forewings with an acute or slightly falcate apex, vein R1 originating from the apex of 1 st areole; and hindtibia [Fig. 3a: (v)] of male with either a single or paired median spur and a pair of terminal spurs. Whereas in Tanaotrichia, the forewing is comparatively broader, vein R1 originates before the apex of 2 nd areole [Fig. 3b: FW]; hindtibia lacks median spurs altogether, bears a single functional terminal spur accompanied by a short, stout, scaly tuft and a long, well-developed hair pencil concealing all the spurs [Fig. 3b: (ii)].

Male genitalia in Rhodostrophia are characterised by a long, membranous, sometimes slightly sclerotised, apically dilated and bilobed uncus; costal margin of valva curved, strongly sclerotised and ventro-distal regions distinctly modified. Corpus bursae in female genitalia with a sclerotised signum, often shaped as paired elongated sclerites. However, in Tanaotrichia, the uncus is sclerotised, somewhat flat, with a broad apex (Fig. 40), signum in the corpus bursae of female genitalia as a double-ridged, longitudinal band-like with sclerotised scobination (Fig. 62).

Species account