TRIBE LITHININI
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The tribe Lithinini has been defined and investigated for the New World by Rindge (1986), who included as synonym the Lacariini of Orfila & Schajovskoy (1959). He cited difficulty in defining the group as monophyletic in terms of shared apomorphic features of the adults and suggested that only a study of early stages will lead to definitive characterisation of the group. It is currently under intensive study by Dr J.D. Weintraub.

Holloway (1987) studied Old World members of the tribe, which occurs in Africa, Australasia, New Zealand and the Holarctic. There is one widespread Indo-Australian tropical genus, Nadagara Walker, that has several species in Borneo. Holloway drew attention to the virtual restriction of larval diet to ferns, though there was no information on host-plants for the numerous South American genera treated by Rindge: at the time of writing this is being investigated by Dr. Weintraub, and will be reported on shortly. Fern feeding occurs rarely in the ditrysian Lepidoptera, notable examples occurring in the Satyrinae, amphipyrine Noctuidae (e.g. Callopistria Hübner, Conservula Grote) and the family Callidulidae.

Rindge divided New World genera into two sections. The first includes the N. American and Holarctic genera referred to also by Holloway (1987). The second section consists of mostly S. American genera. The concept of Lithinini in Holloway (1987) is more strictly applicable to the first section of Rindge. The second section includes the Lacariini.

The tribe shows more generally distributed ennomine characters such as a hair pencil on the male hind tibia (see Sato, 1984a) and a transverse setal comb on the third sternite of the male abdomen.

The male antennae are simple, filiform, lacking ciliae (prismatic) in most genera. The forewing has one or two accessory cells or areoles associated with the radial veins. The moths are usually grey or pale brown, their build delicate. The wings have simple fasciae, punctate on the veins. On the underside of the hindwing there is a strong discal spot, though this feature is weak on the forewing or absent. The male genitalia are somewhat elongate, the valves with the costa adjacent to the tegumen, sometimes apically produced. The transtilla is often distinctly triangular. The juxta is associated with lateral furcal projections that terminate in a cluster of spines or cristae. Weak socii are present. The aedeagus vesica usually has a small number of large cornuti, often two. In the female, the bursa copulatrix is long with a signum that is typically an elongate ridge, band or strip.

The eggs are characterised by columnar rows of polygonal cells separated by longitudinal ridges (Salkeld, 1983). The larvae are characterised by six external setae on the abdominal proleg, and an unusual escape reaction, falling from the host-plant, rapidly coiling and uncoiling (J.S. Dugdale, in. litt.; J. Weintraub, pers. comm.).

In addition to Nadagara, a monotypic new genus, endemic to Borneo, is tentatively included here. Entomopteryx Guenée was included with reservations, but these have been largely dispelled by the discovery of its larva feeding on a fern in Brunei (See Nadagara Walker).

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