Obana vagipennata Walker stat. rev.comb. rev.

Obana vagipennata Walker, 1862, List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 24: 1103.

Hypobleta cymaea Turner, 1908, Trans. R. Soc. S. Aust., 32: 78, syn. n.

Diagnosis

The wings are pinkish fawn marked with black as illustrated and as described in the generic account.

Taxonomic note

The holotype male of vagipennata (OUMNH: 1381) has damaged genitalia, lacking its uncus, some tegumen and some of the distal parts of the valves. However, the characteristics of what remains are as in material from Queensland that matches exactly in facies the holotype of cymaea (ANIC, Canberra); this has been examined but not dissected. Obana dinawa Bethune-Baker comb. n. (New Guinea) is externally very similar to vagipennata. It was originally described in Phanaspa Walker, but transferred to Eublemma Hübner by Poole (1989). Walker used the name Phanaspa twice in the same publication (Nye, 1975), the senior homonym having as type species dilatatalis Walker (Africa); its status and subfamily placement need clarification (Lödl, 1994). The junior homonym was replaced by Walker subsequently with Busmadis Walker (Nye, 1975), type species thermesialis Walker (S. Africa), a genus treated as a new synonym of Cerynea Walker by Poole (1989), though the prior combination of thermesialis with Cerynea is evident from the treatment of Cerynea species in Fletcher (1961). It is clear that dinawa Bethune-Baker is related to vagipennata and should be transferred to Obana. There is at least one other undescribed species in New Guinea. The male genitalia of dinawa and vagipennata have a narrow, reduced cucullus. In dinawa, the saccular process is reduced to a short, broadly based triangular flap. In vagipennata the costal and saccular processes are more equal, narrowly triangular, the saccular process broader basally, more irregular, and bearing setae.

Geographical range

Borneo, New Guinea (slide 21040), Queensland.

Habitat preference

The holotype was taken in Sarawak, probably in the lowlands, by A.R. Wallace.

Genitalia: