Homophylotis Turner

Type species: thyridota Turner, Queensland.

The species of this genus, described in detail by Tarmann (2004), are somewhat similar in appearance to P. catoxantha but have a distinctive translucent central part of the hindwing covered only sparsely with upright scales. The head, thorax and abdomen are a brown uniform with that of the wings dorsally, but whitish or yellow ventrally. The male antenna is asymmetrically bipectinate as in Palmartona but longer, and that of the female is biserrate, appearing rather swollen over most of its length, broadening gently to just subapically where it tapers at the apex; it is brown, with a white patch at the base of this tapering. The male antenna also has a white zone just beyond where the pectinations terminate.

In the male abdomen, the artonoid lateral evaginations on A2 are enlarged, balloon-like. The genitalia are small relative to the size of the moth. The ‘Artona finger’ of the valve is reduced, often vestigial. The vesica is generally scobinate.

The female lacks a praebursa with rows of teeth, and the ductus seminalis inverts anteriorly on the corpus bursae, a position thought to indicate fusion of the praebursa with it (Tarmann, 2004).

The genus is only known definitely from Queensland, New Guinea and the Bismarcks, and is considered by Tarmann (2004) to be sister-genus to Pseudoamuria Tarmann, a genus also known currently only from Queensland and New Guinea. Pseudoamuria is externally similar to Homophylotis, but the male antennae have more symmetric pectinations, and the central pale zone of the hindwing is smaller, scaled, not translucent. The artonoid lateral evaginations of A2 in the male are not enlarged, but the Artona-finger of the valve is well developed. One species of Pseudoamuria was reared from banana (Musa, Musaceae; Tarmann, 2004).

The two Bornean species discussed below are currently placed in Homophylotis (Bryk, 1936), but their status requires further investigation.

Host plant records for the genus as listed by Robinson et al. (2001) from Conway & Tay (1969) are: Elaeis (Palmae); Citrus (Rutaceae); Theobroma (Sterculiaceae).