Heterocera (Protopolia), Varga, Zoltan, Ronkay, Gabor & Ronkay, Laszlo, 2017

Varga, Zoltan, Ronkay, Gabor & Ronkay, Laszlo, 2017, Revised taxonomic check list of the Eurasiatic species of the subtribe Poliina (Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Hadenini), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 64 (2), pp. 133-160 : 137

Subgenus Protopolia subgen. n.

Type-species.

Mamestra praecipua Staudinger, 1895, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Gesellschaft Iris zu Dresden8: 316.

Diagnosis.

The three species belonging to this subgenus are large, robust moths with simple ochreous-brownish or purplish-blackish-brown (generally unicolorous but sometimes, individually, contrasting) colouration and regular pattern, somewhat resembling certain forms of Apamea monoglypha (Hufnagel, 1766).

In the male genitalia, the saccular processes are simple, short or acute, symmetrical, with prominent tuft of specialised setae on the right side. Vesica is tubular, relatively short and retroflexed, with only a short fascia of cornuti subterminally.

In the female genitalia, the appendix bursae is slightly prominent only, the corpus bursae has two short longitudinal signa.

Etymology.

The name refers to the relative simplicity of colouration and configuration of male genitalia as opposed to the huge majority of Polia and Poliina , respectively.