Rheumapterini Herbulot, 1961

Viidalepp, Jaan, 2011, A morphological review of tribes in Larentiinae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), Zootaxa 3136, pp. 1-44 : 19

Tribe Rheumapterini Herbulot, 1961

( Figs 62–63, 65–71 )

Herbulot (1961) separated the tribe without a diagnosis. Large dark-coloured moths with distally dentate-edged hind wings have always been kept together in check-lists. However, there are three distinct groups of genera: the Rheumaptera informal group of related genera, the large-sized troglophilous species of Triphosini, both are treated below as tribes Rheumapterini and Triphosini, respectively. The third, Phileremini consists of a few Palaearctic species with several specific traitsas listed below.

The tribe Rheumapterini shows a long list of apomorphic characters: juxta dorsal part rooted in the basal part of it ( Figs 62–65 ); a slender sclerite present between juxta, saccus and bases of sacculi ( Fig. 62 ). It is not clear whether this sclerite is analogous to that in Cataclysmini; The rheumapterine genera are characterized here by: wide posterior sclerotisation of female genitalia (possibly shared with Melanthiini ?) ( Figs 66–68 ); uncus heavily sclerotized, broad, flat, triangular, trapezoidal or cupola- shaped (skinny soft and hairy in Melanthiini ); both costal and saccular ornamentations of valva present (like also in Melanthiini ); labides arise from the base of costa, are connected by a membrane, supported by a median sclerite, long, headed, reaching uncus ( Figs 62–65 ); dorsal parts of vinculum flattened and invaginated into bases of valvae; presence of coremata associated with membranization of the eighth abdominal segment in male and large masses of deciduous hair-scales ( Fig. 71 ).

Some apomorphic characters of subclades occur within the tribe, such as: shortening of spurs on male hind tibia; rich vestiture of male hind tibia associated with shortened and thickened tibia, and the basal tarsomere ( Figs 69, 70 ); the presence of blotches of specialized scales in wings of male; posterior sclerotization of female genitalia; fusion of cornuti in male aedeagus and signa in female bursa copulatrix into conglomerates.

Distribution: Neotropical, Holarctic.

Figures

FIGURES 62 – 68, Male and female genitalia of Rheumapterini and Triphosini. 62, Male genitalia of Rheumaptera hastata (Linnaeus); 63, male genitalia of Hydria undulata (Linnaeus).; 64, male genitalia of “ Scotosia “ sp. (Nicaragua); 65, male genitalia of Triphosa sabaudiata (Duponchel) (Crimea); 66, female genitalia of Rheumaptera hyrcana (Staudinger) (Turkmenistan); 67, female genitalia of Rheumaptera flavipes (Menetriês) (Kunashir I.); 68, female genitalia of Triphosa taochata Lederer (Iran).

FIGURES 69 – 73, Vestiture of legs and abdomen in Rheumapterini and Trichopterygini. 69, Male hind tibia of Coryphista meadi Packard (U. S. A.); 70, male hind tibia of Rheumaptera hyrcana Staudinger (Georgia); 71, membranized abdominal segment A 8 in R. hyrcana Staudinger (Georgia); 72, body ventral side vestiture of Tatosoma tipulata (Walker) (New Zealand); 73, male hind leg with hair pencil of Oulobophora internata (Püngeler) (Turkey).