Hyperythra Guenée
Genus Details
Type species: limbolaria Guenée = lutea Stoll.
Synonyms: Callopona Turner (type species metabolis Turner, Queensland); Pseuderythra Swinhoe syn. n. (type species phoenix Swinhoe, N.E. Himalaya); Tycoonia Warren syn. n. (type species obliqua Warren, ‘Japan’ (China)).
This genus is allied to the American Erastria Hübner and the African Petrodava Walker. It shares with both a general similarity in facies, and with Erastria the presence of a subbasal process on the valve costa of the male genitalia. Ventral to this costal process on the interior of the valve are basal (usually a lobe) and distal (usually a short spur) processes. The sacculus is diagnostically produced apically into a curved spine. The aedeagus vesica has numerous cornuti, lacking in Erastria. Other diagnostic features in the male genitalia are an elongate uncus and a scobinate subscaphial membrane.
The female genitalia have the ostium opening on a relatively deep (tergite and sternite) eighth segment. The ductus is short. The signa are various: two distal, transverse, serrate flanges opposed by a longitudinal band of scobination in lutea; a strong, scobinate, longitudinal band of sclerotisation associated with a central indentation in obliqua.
A preliminary genitalic survey of the genus, including taxa currently curated under Erastria in the BMNH collection, indicates that the following taxa may correctly be assigned to it:
| *H. obliqua* Warren **comb. n.** | China, ?Japan | ||
| ?= *perlutea* Wehrli | |||
| ssp. *lungtanensis* Wehrli | |||
| ssp. *pallens* Wehrli | |||
| *H. phoenix* Swinhoe | N.E. Himalaya, Peninsular Malaysia | ||
| *= khasiana* Swinhoe** syn. n.** | |||
| *H. lutea* Stoll (see below) | India to Sundaland | ||
| *H. swinhoei* Butler | Pakistan, Iran | ||
| = *phantasma* Butler | |||
| *= muselmana* Brandt | |||
| *H. susceptaria* Walker **stat. rev.** | |||
| = *lala* Swinhoe **syn. n.** | Punjab, Burma | ||
| *H. rubricata* Warren | Java and Sulawesi to | ||
| = *simplex* Warren | Queensland and Solomons, | ||
| = *metabolis* Turner | Christmas I. | ||
| = *lysima* Prout | |||
| = *camylogramma* Prout | |||
| = *sumbensis* Prout | |||
| = *vindex* Prout | |||
The last four species listed form a group within the genus, sharing possession of two features of the male: a black brush of scent scales at the base of the hindwing upperside costal zone; a broad ring of short cornuti on the basal part of the aedeagus vesica. In all except H. lutea the costal process of the valve is much reduced, and H. rubricata lacks the spined distal lobe to the aedeagus vesica seen in the other three. The taxa subordinated to rubricata may have validity as subspecies as there is some variability in facies and genitalia: specimens from Java, the Lesser Sundas, Sulawesi and Christmas I. have the interior process at the base of the valve long, acute, whereas from New Guinea eastwards it is short, rather rounded.
There is a species complex in New Guinea (including sordida Warren and gibbosa Warren) currently associated with the Erastria group that is probably not related, and certainly does not fall within the definition of Hyperythra.
The larvae of both H. phoenix and H. lutea were described by Singh (1953).They differ from those of the Petelia group (see also Sato (1976)) in features of the subventral abdominal setae. Host-plants noted are Gouania and Ziziphus in the Rhamnaceae.
