Ophiusini Guenee 1837

Ophiusini Guenée 1837

Ophiusidi Guenée 1837 Annales de la Société entomologique de France 6: 321.

Synonymy: Anuini Wiltshire 1976; Lagopteridae Kirby 1897; Lagopterini Berio 1992; Ophiusidae Herrich-Schäffer 1845 [1851]; Ophiusidae Guenée 1852; Ophiusini Wiltshire 1992

Type genus: Ophiusa Ochsenheimer, 1816

Type species: Phalaena tirhaca Cramer, 1777

Molecular studies have changed the composition of the Ophusini considerably since its treatment by Goater et al. (2003) in which he considered the Ophiusina as one of numerous Catocalini subtribes. Ophusina of Goater et al. (2003) contained several genus groups: Catephia, Cerocala, Ophiusa, Parallelia, and Zethes-Pericyma. The Ophiusa genus group contained Clytie, Minucia, Ophiusa, and Thyas, and was defined by characters of the male and female genitalia. In the phylogeny of Zahiri et al. (2012), Artena Walker, Clytie, Thyas Hübner grouped with Ophiusa (BP=100). Zahiri et al. (2012) remarked that that species belonging to this clade possess probosces significantly modified with enlarged spines and erectile hooks used for fruit piercing and lachrymal feeding. Holloway (2005) divided the Ophiusini into three groups, which reflect the currently recognized Euclidiini, Ophiusini, and Poaphilini. Holloway (2005) included Artena, Ophiusa, and Thyas in the subset of the tribe reflecting the current Ophiusini, distinguishing them by the absence or reduction of coremata on the male valvae, a secondary loss of the pupal bloom, and similarities in forewing pattern. Kononenko (2010) followed Holloway’s (2005) broader concept of the Ophiusini, and included Siberian species of Artena, Bastilla Swinhoe, Clytie, Dysgonia, Grammodes, Minucia, Ophiusa, Thyas and Serrodes in the tribe. Likewise, Kononenko & Pinratana (2013) did not distinguish the Poaphilini from the Ophiusini in their catalogue of Thai Erebidae, placing

The “Phylum of Anua ” of Berio (1959) contains members of this the Ophiusini, which he united by the location of the androconial groove on the femur and trochanter, and a spined femora. The “Phylum of Anua ” contained members of the current genera Clytie, Euminucia Hampson, Hypanua Hampson, Ophiusa, and Thyas. Klyuchko (1978) identified several characters shared by some taxa in this tribe and the closely related Poaphilini. She noted that the frons of Anua [Ophiusa], Ophiusa and Dysgonia Hübner [Poaphilini], along with Eccrita Lederer [Lygephila, Toxocampinae] share a distinctive small group of hairs on the frons. Additionally, Klyuchko (1978) noted that the previous four genera, along with Prodotis John [Grammodes] possess spicules inside the aedeagus. Klyuchko found that the female genitalia of some Ophiusa species possess a distinctively large and spiral shaped bulla, a sclerotization on sternite VII (sterigma) that obscures the opening to the ostium, and an absence of spines inside the bursa copulatrix in Anua [Ophiusa], Ophiusa, and Dysgonia Poaphilini. Further studies of these characters are needed to determine if any of these morphological characters can be used to diagnose the Ophiusini or Ophiusini +Poaphilini clade. Hacker (2001) revised Clytie, dividing the genus in to two subgenera (Clytie and Hypoglaucitis Staudinger) based on differences in genitalia morphology. Although Hacker did not discuss related genera in the revisionary part of this work, he grouped the Clytie species between Ophiusa and Dysgonia in his catalogue (Hacker 2001).