Anticarsia Hübner

Type species: gemmatalis Hübner, Surinam.

Synonym: Azazia Walker (type species rubricans Boisduval = irrorata Fabricius).

Most species currently in this genus (Poole, 1989) have a facies similar to that seen in Hypospila Guenée and Tochara Moore (pp. 264-267), but are somewhat more delicate, with deeper wings, the forewings with an acute subcostal angle to the postmedial that also has a secondary continuation to the apex, the two lines defining a lens-shaped area at the apical part of the costa. The forewing reniform is considerably enlarged and consists of two black dots enclosed by a fine dark line that defines the stigma. The male antennae are filiform. The apodemes of the basal abdominal sternite are well separated, rather pincer-like.

Despite facies similarities, the male genitalia are diverse in structure, those of gemmatalis being relatively robust with relatively small ovate valves that have an 4obtusely angled longitudinal ridge centrally that bears fine setae.

The female of gemmatalis has the ostium between the seventh and eighth segments. The ductus is basally flimsy and tapers to a constriction from which the elongate and generally pyriform bursa expands. There is a long band of sclerotisation in the basal part and a signum centrally in the broader part that consists of a scobinate umbo within several irregular rings of corrugation; there is also corrugation elsewhere in the bursa. In irrorata, type species of Azazia, the ornamentation of the bursa is similar, supporting the generic synonymy.

The type species and irrorata both favour Leguminosae in their larval host plants and are pests. The genus includes further species across its pantropical range and is in need of revision (see below).