The Saroba group of genera
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Attonda Swinhoe

Type species: trifasciata Moore, Andamans.

The facies is fairly typical of
Saroba and immediate allies. The male abdomen has the eighth segment with the tergite relatively broad and the sternite with lateral rods and a central notch on the anterior margin, and considerably expanded and rugose posteriorly. The male genitalia are typical of the Saroba group. The aedeagus is slender, the vesica small with several lobes on its broader basal part. female (adspersa) has a relatively reduced sterigma, a long, sclerotised, tapering ductus, and a very elongate, narrow corpus bursae.

The genus currently contains the major species complex discussed below and also A. ekeikei Bethune-Baker (Sulawesi to New Guinea). In ekeikei the male has antennae that are strongly bipectinate and there is a shallowly curved flap underlying the basal half of the forewing area. The male abdomen has a much more elongated eighth segment of the framed corematous type, the sternite without the lateral rods of typical Attonda, but having a broad, slightly corematous pouch anteriorly. The genitalia are not typical of the Saroba group, with the valves small, digitate, bearing a large corema on the base of the costa. The sacculi meet centrally, their ventral margin in an unusual ‘W’ shape. The aedeagus vesica is large, lobed, scobinate, with a large cornutus at the apex of one lobe. Attonda ekeikei is probably a synonym of Goniophila lichenea Holland (Buru). Both of these combinations were established by Poole (1989), reflecting the BMNH curation current at the time; both are inappropriate (see also p. 288) .

The genus as currently constituted (Poole, 1989; Nielsen
et al., 1996) contains one widespread Old World tropical species, adspersa Felder & Rogenhofer, that has numerous synonyms, together with nana Holland from Africa and ekeikei Bethune-Baker from New Guinea, Seram and Sulawesi. Dissection has shown that much of this synonymy within adspersa is unjustified; a species complex is involved, as suggested by Robinson (1975). The type species is probably widespread in the Indian Subregion, extending east to Australia and possibly Fiji (Robinson, 1975) and is characterised by an uncus that expands gently to a ‘ball and claw’ apex, becomes more densely setose to the apex, and has a broad, short costal process and an angled saccular process to the valve. The oldest name for this species is trifasciata Moore stat. rev., and it probably includes as synonyms most of those listed by Poole (1989) for adspersa except stellata Moore. There is a distinct species in Africa (slide 18402) with a slender, tapering, basally flexed uncus, valve processes somewhat as in adspersa, but with the distal part of the valve very short; it is possible that the names nana Holland (mainland Africa) and alboguttata Heyden (Madagascar) are referable to this species. The Bornean species is described below and extends from Sundaland eastwards, but the identity of ‘adspersa’ taxa in Australasia requires further study.

The larva of the type species was described by Gardner (1947). The prolegs are absent from A3 and reduced on A4. The head is lined and reticulated darker on a pale ground. The body is greenish brown with fine white lines and, on A2 and A8, an irregular white spot laterally. Pupation is in a folded leaf. The pupa has a powdery bloom.

The host plant was
Mallotus (Euphorbiaceae).

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