Ponometia Herrich-Schäffer, 1868

Lafontaine, Donald & Poole, Robert, 2010, Review of the New World genera of the subfamily Acontiinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 137-160 : 139-141

Ponometia Herrich-Schäffer, 1868

Figs 1–4, 19–22, 39

Ponometia is a large genus of New World Acontiinae with 47 described species. We list it first because of the bilaterally symmetrical male genitalia, a character likely to be primitive and apparently absent in Old World Acontiinae ( Hacker et al. 2008) . Unlike Tarache and Acontia , only a few species have a moth that resembles a bird dropping.

Figures Ι–Ι8. Acontiinae adults [former generic name in brackets]. Ι Ponometia [ Ponometia ] exigua 2 Ponometia [ Fruva ] fasciatella 3 Ponometia [ Tarachidia ] semiflava 4 Ponometia [ Conochares ] altera 5 Tarache [ Acontia ] aprica , m 6 Tarache [ Acontia ] aprica , f 7 Tarache [ Acontia ] areli 8 Tarache [ Therasea ] augustipennis 9 Tarache [ Hemispragueia ] idella Ι0 Acontia [ Acontia ] lucida ΙΙ Acontia [ Acontia ] cretata Ι2 Acontia [ Stylorache ] albida Ι3 Acontia [ Chelichares ] nubifera Ι4 Acontia [ Hoplotarache ] ruffinellii Ι5 Eusceptis [ Eusceptis ] flavifrimbriata Ι6 Pseudalypia [ Pseudalypia ] crotchii Ι7 Spragueia [ Spragueia ] leo Ι8 Trogotorna [ Trogotorna ] persecta .

The genus is most easily characterized by the relatively small size of the moth (forewing length: 6–16 mm, but most species 8–12 mm), and the male and female genitalia. Male genitalia (Figs 19–22). Th e valves are bilaterally symmetrical with only a few species showing slight differences between the valves (e.g., P. albitermen , P. binocula , P. tortricina ). Th e clasper is a long spine-like process on the ventral margin of the valve that turns upward, often abruptly so, to project onto the inner surface of the valve. The diagnostic feature of Ponometia is the vesica; there are one or two long diverticula, each with a longitudinally-ridged apical cornutus, and there is a comb-like row of small cornuti on the apical part of the vesica. Female genitalia (Fig. 39). Th e inner surface of the corpus bursae is covered posteriorly, sometimes entirely, with large patches of long spines 5–10 × as long as wide.

Food plants. Food plants are recorded for Ponometia candefacta ( Ambrosia spp.), Ponometia erastrioides ( Ambrosia spp.), Ponometia acutus ( Ambrosia sp.), Ponometia altera ( Haplopappus Cass. and Ericameria Nuttall ), and Ponometia libedis ( Iva ambrosiaefolia A. Gray ), all in the Asteraceae . In addition Ponometia bicolorata has been reared from Simsia foetida (Cav.) S. F. Blake in the Asteraceae and Heliotropium indicum L. in the Boraginaceae .