Ophthalmitis Fletcher, 1979

Jiang, Nan, Xue, Dayong & Han, Hongxiang, 2011, A review of Ophthalmitis Fletcher, 1979 in China, with descriptions of four new species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Ennominae), Zootaxa 2735, pp. 1-22 : 2-3

Ophthalmitis Fletcher, 1979

Ophthalmitis Fletcher, 1979 , in Nye (Ed.), Generic Names Moths World, 3: 146. Type species: Ophthalmodes herbidaria Guenée, 1858 , by subsequent designation by Moore (1887). [Replacement name for Ophthalmodes Guenée, 1858 .] Ophthalmodes Guenée, 1858 , in Boisduval & Guenée, Hist. nat. Insectes (Spec. gén. Lépid.), 9: 283. Type species: Ophthalmodes herbidaria Guenée, 1858 . [Junior homonym of Ophthalmodes Fischer, 1834 (Orthoptera) .]

Description Head. Antenna greyish white mixed with brown scales dorsally, partly to totally bipectinate, tapering, rami usually shorter in female. Frons rounded, not protruding. Labial palpus blackish brown, extending slightly beyond frons. Thorax. Patagium, tegula greyish white, pale green, or greyish green, blackish brown posteriorly. Centre of tegula blackish brown. Posterior mesonotum with pair of black spots. Metanotum posterior margin black. Two pairs hind tibial spurs in both sexes, usually not dilated, without hair-pencil except in males of O. albosignaria . Wings greyish white, greyish green, green, or pale yellowish brown, transverse lines greyish brown, brown, pale green or blackish brown. Forewing outer margin weakly protruded, hindwing rounded. Patterns of forewing: costa diffused with short longitudinal greyish brown flecks; antemedial, medial, postmedial, submarginal lines forming four black patches on costa; antemedial line wavy, sometimes indistinct; medial, postmedial lines serrate, sometimes indistinct, appearing as spots on veins, broadened at inner margin; postmedial line protruded outwards above CuA1, protruded inwards below CuA1, then paralleling to medial line; submarginal line appearing as series of small triangular patches between veins, sometimes only distinct between M1 and M3, near costal, inner margins; terminal line appearing as series of short strips between veins; fringes greyish white mixed with blackish brown or greyish green; discal spot stellate, pale-centered, ringed blackish brown. Hindwing medial line slightly wavy, sometimes appearing as spots on veins; broad dark band sometimes present between medial line, outer margin of discal spot, indistinct beyond cell; postmedial line stellate, sometimes indistinct, appearing as spots on veins; discal spot smaller than on forewing; submarginal, terminal lines, fringes similar to those of forewing. Venter, greyish white, greyish yellow or greyish black, diffused with small dots; transverse lines greyish brown, distinct; terminal bands present on both wings, discal spot large, distinct, forewing costa pale yellowish brown, diffused with dark flecks. Venation. Frenulum developed. Forewing: male with fovea at base between anal fold and 2A; Sc, R1 usually long stalked, separate after cell, Sc+R1, R2 usually combined with short bar; R2 and R3-5 separate, almost touching at base, diverging before anterior angle of cell; M1 diverging from anterior angle of cell, not stalked with R3–5; M3 diverging from posterior angle of cell; CuA1 diverging before posterior angle of cell. Hindwing: Sc+R1 close to cell less than one-half length of cell; Rs diverging before anterior angle of cell; M1 diverging from anterior angle of cell; M2 absent; M3 diverging from posterior angle of cell; CuA1 diverging before posterior angle of cell; 3A absent. Abdomen. Pairs of black dorsal spots on first to sixth abdominal segments. Spots on first abdominal segment small, on second to sixth segments relatively large and closer together. First abdominal segment pale grey, remaining segments pale green, yellowish green or greyish white. Third sternite of male abdomen without setal patch, except in O. albosignaria and O. xanthypochlora ( Wehrli, 1924) . Eighth sternite of male abdomen with cleft, flanked by sclerotized processes, except in O. xanthypochlora . Male genitalia. Uncus rounded or square terminally, length equal to basal width, usually with pair of lateral processes, but with two pairs of lateral processes in O. pertusaria ( Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875) and O. clararia ( Walker, 1866) , or absent in O. xanthypochlora , O. exemptaria ( Walker, 1860) , O. basiscripta Holloway, 1993 , O. satoi Holloway, 1993 . Arms of gnathos connected medially, with median process rounded terminally, ratio of length to length of uncus variable. Valva blunt or squared distally; costa sclerotized, angled posteriorly medially, expanded, bearing a large area of long setae terminally; sacculus with dorsal margin strongly sclerotized band and/or with extension; ampulla usually present, spinulose, directed towards centre of costa. Saccus semicircular, with longitudinal arris apically in anterior half. Juxta weakly sclerotized, anterior margin usually concaved medially, posterior half narrower or weaker. Coremata developed. Aedeagus weakly sclerotized posteriorly, usually with a pair of sclerotized spines posteriorly; vesica usually without cornuti, except in O. xanthypochlora .

Female genitalia. Ovipositor not strongly sclerotized, covered densely with setae. Lamella postvaginalis sclerotized strongly, curved posteriorly, with three lobes below, wrinkled anteriorly. Ductus bursae occasionally sclerotized posteriorly, with colliculum. Corpus bursae oval or rounded, membranous, bearing signum; signum oval or rounded, with marginal spines, small central teeth.

Diagnosis. The genus Ophthalmitis resembles Pseudalcis Warren, 1897 in the bipectinate male antennae and the pale-centreed stellate discal spots. But Ophthalmitis differs from Pseudalcis in the following characters: the eighth abdominal sternite of the male usually has a cleft, absent in Pseudalcis ; in the male genitalia, the costa of Ophthalmitis is angled posteriorly medially, and is expanded terminally and bears a large area of long setae terminally, whereas the costa is swollen in a bulbous manner, and bears a dense array of fine setae in Pseudalcis .

Distribution. China, Russia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sundaland.

Biological notes. Most specimens from China have been recorded from 80 m to 2680 m elevation beteween April and December. Nakamura (2004) described the pupae and Sato (1976, 1984) and Sugi (1987) described the larvae of O. albosignaria and O. irrorataria . Singh (1953) described the characters of the type species larva, particularly the chaetotaxy. Larval host plants have been recorded from the families Ebenaceae , Flacourtiaceae , Juglandaceae , Lauraceae , Moraceae and Rosaceae ( Holloway 1994; Sato 1984; Scoble 1992).