Eublemma Hübner

Type species: amoena Hübner (= respersa Hübner), Europe.

Synonyms:

• Anthophila Ochsenheimer (type species purpurina [Denis & Schiffermüller], Europe), praeocc.
• Autoba Walker (type species versicolor Walker, see below)
• Coccidiphaga Spuler (type species scitula Rambur, Corsica)
• Ecthetis Hübner (type species pura Hübner, Europe)
• Eromene Hübner (type species ostrina Hübner, Europe)
• Eublemmoides Bethune-Baker (type species dinawa Bethune-Baker, New Guinea)
• Eumestleta Butler (type species patula Morrison, Texas = *recta *Guenée)
• Eumicremma Berio (type species minima Guenée, Virgin Is.)
• Eupsoropsis Berio (type species robertsi Berio, Nigeria)
• Glaphyra Guenée (type species glarea Treitschke = lacernaria Hübner, Europe), praeocc.
• Gyophora Warren (type species quadrilineata Moore, India)
• Heliomanes Sodoffsky (unnecessary replacement name for Anthophila)
• Mestleta Walker (type species abrupta Walker, see below)
• Micra Guenée (type species minuta Hübner = candidana Fabricius), praeocc.
• Microphisa Boisduval (type species jucunda Hübner, Europe
• Microphysa Guenée and Microphysa Agassiz are unjustified emendations and junior homonyms)
• Mixocharis Lederer (unnecessary replacement name for Microphisa)
• Odice Hübner (type species inamoena Hübner, Europe)
• Polyorycta Warren (type species dimidialis Fabricius, see below)
• Porphyrinia Hübner (type species purpurina)
• Rhypagla Nye (replacement name for Glaphyra)
• Silda Walker (type species truncatalis Walker, see below)
• Smicroloba Warren (type species quadrapex Hampson, India)
• Thalomicra Spuler (type species debilis Christoph, Turkmenistan)
• Thalpochares Lederer (unnecessary replacement name for Anthophila)
• Trothisa Hübner (type species paula Hübner, Europe)
• Vescisa Walker (type species commoda Walker, see below)
• Zonesthiousa Thierry-Mieg (type species scitula).

Autoba is treated as distinct by Poole (1989) and Edwards in Nielsen et al. (1996), with Mestleta, Eublemmoides and Smicroloba as synonyms by Edwards (Poole retained Eublemmoides as distinct). Fibiger & Hacker (2002) recognised a very broad concept of the genus, bringing Coccidiphaga, Eupsoropsis and Zonesthiousa Thierry-Mieg into the synonymy. However, they did not incorporate Metachrostis Hübner, discussed in relation to “ Eublemma” brunea Hampson on p. 186, despite similarities in key genitalia features between Metachrostis and Eublemma. Metachrostis would have priority over Eublemma in the event of synonymy according to dates given in Nye (1975), and by Fibiger & Hacker (2005); the latter included Metachrostis as a distinct genus within their concept of Eublemmini.

The rather confusing situation just outlined is indicative of a need for further intensive review of the Eublemminae on a global scale. It is to be hoped that this will achieve a clearer understanding of the features defining the group as a whole and those defining the genus Eublemma; these can seem interchangeable at present.

The female genitalia can have ornamentation of the corpus bursae, most frequently two small spines (one usually long and narrow, the other shorter on a broader base) set apart from each other in a broader part of the corpus, but there may also be general scobination or small patches of spines, though this condition is rarer. The two-spined condition occurs in both the Autoba group (e.g. the versicolor Walker and latistriga Warren subgroups) and the typical group (e.g. in dimidialis Fabricius and accedens Felder & Rogenhofer) but can be variably present within individual species subgroups (e.g. the roseonivea Walker subgroup).

The genus in Borneo falls mostly into the Autoba group, consisting of more robust species with some hindwing patterning reflecting that of the forewing, the latter most typically as described for E. brachygonia Hampson on p. 164, and the typical Eublemma group where the forewing fasciae are predominantly straight, often oblique, and the hindwing is uniform. The typical group consists generally of more geographically widespread species that are more frequent in open habitats and have larvae that are herb-feeding. The first two species treated below could be placed in a further group, the Vescisa group, as discussed under the first, the type species of Vescisa.

The genus exhibits a diversity of larval feeding behaviour and resource requirements. Most plant feeding is on young shoots, buds, flowers, fruit, pods or seeds, but can also involve predation on scale insects (Coccidae). This predatory behaviour can come to predominate, and is obligatory for a number of species. Two particularly unusual types of feeding behaviour are recorded for Sundanian species. One is found in a mangrove species that may prove to occur in Borneo; Murphy (1990) illustrated and described the life history of Eublemma alabastrata Warren in mangrove in Singapore. The larvae are internal borers of Avicennia (Avicenniaceae) fruit. They are smooth, maggot-like, lacking prolegs on A3 and A4, a slightly glistening dull brown that becomes paler from the head to the anal region. Each larva attacks and destroys several fruit before pupating in the last one. They bore into well-grown fruit, webbing each to the plant stem, immediately killing the embryo on entry. Infested trees are conspicuously decorated with shrivelled, dried fruit. The other unusual mode of feeding is seen in the larva of E. radda Swinhoe (p. 171); this feeds in the pitchers of Nepenthes (Nepenthaceae).

Bell (MS), in several descriptions of larvae, mentions an extra lateral hair near the front margin of each segment, possibly those noted in the subfamily account.