Amphipyrinae

The only definition at present possible for this subfamily is that it consists of those noctuids with trifine hindwing venation that lack hairy eyes, lashed eyes, tibial spining, spiny larvae and are not members of the small Acronicta group of genera, i.e. a paraphyletic assemblage of the residual trifines (Kitching, 1984).

Franclemont & Todd in Hodges et al. (1983) divided the group into four tribes: Apameini, Amphipyrini, Stiriini and Nocloini. The third tribe is now regarded as a good subfamily, sister-group to the Heliothinae (Matthews, 1988; see Heliothinae). The Nocloini are probably not represented in the Bornean fauna.

The Apameini they listed include such Bornean genera as Apamea Ochsenheimer, Phlogophora Treitschke and Callopistria Hubner as well as the Palaearctic graminaceous stem-boring complex discussed on Sesamia Guenee.

The Amphipyrini include genera such as Sasunaga Moore (subordinated to Magusa Walker), Spodoptera Guenee, Condica Walker (as Platysenta Grote) and members of the Athetis Hubner group.

The arrangement of genera that follows passes from those that show many of the characteristics trifine features to those that show few or none at all. This in effect probably passes from Apameini genera to Amphipyrini genera but no attempt will be made to segregate them.