Promalactis, Meyrick, 1908

Wang, Shuxia, Du, Zhaohui & Li, Houhun, 2013, Taxonomic study of the genus Promalactis Meyrick, 1908 from Southeast Asia (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), Zootaxa 3669 (4), pp. 401-455 : 404

PROMALACTIS Meyrick, 1908

Promalactis Meyrick, 1908a: 806 .

Type species: Promalactis holozona Meyrick, 1908 , by original designation. (Type locality: N. Coorg, India)

Generic characters. Head with appressed scales, smooth, with metallic lustre. Maxillary palpus four segmented, terminal segment enlarged, saccate. Labial palpus long or very long, recurved, with smooth or rough scales; three segmented, 3rd segment very slender, acute at apex. Antenna more than 3/5 length of forewing, strongly ciliate in male; in some species, scape with pecten. Forewing lanceolate; ground color yellow to dark ochreous brown, with various markings; R 4 and R 5 stalked, R 5 to costa. Hindwing shorter than forewing, lanceolate or linear lanceolate, cilia 2–4 x width of wing, CuA 1 from before lower angle of cell, M 3 from lower angle. Tarsi of legs usually with white spots dorsally; foreleg black, tibia sometimes dorsally with white spots; midleg black dorsally, yellow or pale gray ventrally, tibia dorsally with a tuft of long white scales at apex; hindleg gray or dark gray dorsally, yellow ventrally.

Male genitalia with uncus variously shaped, usually broad at base. Valva symmetrical or asymmetrical; costa straight, projected or sinuate, with basal or middle process in some species. Sacculus narrow to very broad, often with distal process. Saccus short to extremely long. Juxta varied in shape, with or without lateral lobes. Aedeagus slender, cornutus present (spine-like) or absent.

Female genitalia with apophysis posterioris longer than apophysis anterioris. Ostium bursae open at 7th or 8th sternum or between 7th and 8th sternum. 8th sternum with dense microtrichia, with sparse setae on posterior margin. Lamella postvaginalis developed to indistinct. Ductus bursae thin, membranous, partially sclerotized or entirely sclerotized, in some species with short spines or sclerotized band. Corpus bursae small, round or oval; signum present or absent.

Diagnosis. Promalactis Meyrick can be identified by appearance having a smooth head with metallic lustre, a pair of lanceolate forewings with various dark or white markings against yellow to dark ochreous brown ground color; a pair of variously shaped symmetrical or asymmetrical valvae and developed sacculus in the male genitalia; as well as by having a developed to ill-defined lamella postvaginalis and an elongate thin ductus bursae in the female genitalia. It is close to the genera Epicallima Dyar, 1903 , Batia Stephens, 1834 and Bisigna Toll, 1956 externally and internally. However, there are confusions between these genera, often without definite defining characters to separate them from each other. Currently, a cladistic study is being carried out, aiming at clarifying the taxonomic status of these genera.