SUBFAMILY CYCLIDIINAE
View Image Gallery of Subfamily Cyclidiinae

The Cyclidiinae contain only two Oriental genera. Their build and wing shape is not dissimilar to that of some Drepaninae. They have a strong frenulum and retinaculum. The forewing venation lacks an areole, with R1 arising independently from, but running closely parallel to Rs for much of its length. The male antennae are filiform, somewhat flattened, lamellate.

The male abdomen is characterised by hair pencils or slight coremata just posterior to the tympanal organs (Scoble, 1992), supported by a sclerotised band. In the male genitalia the gnathus is strong. The type genus has socii reminiscent of those of the Thyatirinae. The signum of the female, when present, is also similar to that in Thyatirinae.

The larva has numerous secondary setae (Scoble, 1992). The biology of the type genus is described briefly below. The subfamily may be uniquely associated with the plant family Alangiaceae (See Cyclidia Guenée), but has a narrower distribution.

Chu & Wang (1985, 1987) showed the Cyclidiinae to be a sister-group to the Drepanini + Oretini, but did not include the Thyatirinae in their cladistic analysis. They used the Geometridae as an outgroup. Hence resolution of the relationships of the three subfamilies must await a more comprehensive analysis. Scoble & Edwards (1988) noted the presence of a weak patch of aculei on each side of the thoracic metascutum in one out of two Cyclidia Guenée species examined, but no corresponding patch below the forewing. In Thyatirinae both patches are usually present and act as a wing-thorax coupling mechanism. The condition of the socii in males of Cyclidia and of the signum in females may indicate a closer relationship to the Thyatirinae. The lamellate male antennae may be a further pointer in this direction.

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