Clelea Walker

Type species: Clelea sapphirina Walker, China.

Synonyms (after Owada & Inada, 2005): Bremeria Alphéraky (type species Bremeria manza Alphéraky, China); Subclelea Alberti (type species Subclelea parabella Alberti, China).

This genus consists of small, very dark brown species, often with pale bluish or greenish iridescent markings on the patagia and the forewing. On the latter, these consist of a curved antemedial and three evenly spaced longitudinal dashes across the postmedial area. These dashes may be united by a transverse postmedial and may also extend basad to the antemedial to give a more reticulate pattern as in the smaller Bornean species. The distal margin is also edged with the iridescent colour, though the fringes are dark brown.

All radial and medial sector veins arise independently from the cell (Hampson, 1892). The male antennae are narrowly bipectinate.

The male genitalia have a simple, undivided uncus that tapers away to an acute apex after narrowing sharply from a broad base. The valves are simple, but the juxta extends dorsally on each side of the anellus into processes that are reflexed apically into large, ventrally directed, curved arms that bear rugosity, serration or spines; these arms can extend to the valve bases. The aedeagus vesica is diversely ornamented with scobination, clusters of robust spines, or more massive and isolated cornuti.

The female genitalia are compact, showing diversity in form of similar range to that of the vesica ornamentation. The ductus bursae is broad, and usually sclerotised.

The genus is diverse in the Oriental tropics and subtropics, and extends to Sundaland. Only two Bornean specimens have been located, both female, and both matching material from Java in genital features.

Robinson et al. (2001) recorded Clelea plumbeola Hampson (India) as feeding on Amomum (cardamom; Zingiberaceae). This species is a typical member of the genus. It is a pest of cardamom, skeletonising the leaves (Zhang, 1994).

Nakamura (1978) recorded the Japanese C. albicilia Inoue feeding on the flower-heads of Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae). The larva was also illustrated in Sugi (1987). It is dull green with a coarsely darker reddish purple network and with transverse paler rectangle across the dorsum at A8. There are short brushes of secondary setae on verrucae. The anal area is also paler and also the ventral surface. The body is glossy. Nakamura also noted that the related C. fusca Leach fed on bamboos. Both these species are a uniform medium brown in colour and lack the typical blue or green markings on the forewing. Efetov & Tarmann (1995) stated that these species were atypical of Clelea and might have to be excluded. Efetov et al. (2006: 32) placed the genus in the Artonini, based on the chaetotaxy of the first instar larva of a typical species.