Scopulini

The tribe is found throughout the world, and has been successful in temperate zones and in open habitats. In the tropics its members have frequently been recorded visiting mammalian lachrymal secretions (e.g. Banziger, 1973) and coming to carrion: there is also some association with disturbed open habitats (Holloway, 1993).

General characters of the larvae are discussed in the subfamily description. The pupal cremaster has the terminal pair of hooklets much enlarged, the shafts straight, divergent, their bases separated in Problepsis and Somatina Guenée (Nakamura, 1994). Three minor pairs persist in Scopula but these are reduced to one in Somatina and are absent in Problepsis.

Some specialism in larval host-plants is evident: Problepsis on Oleaceae and Somatina and Antitrygodes Warren on Rubiaceae, though Somatina has also been noted on Oleaceae, and also on Caprifoliaceae (Sugi, 1987). A few Scopula Schrank are also known to feed on Oleaceae, but the genus includes a wide range of other plant families in its host range and includes many forb-feeding species.