Sesapa Walker, 1854

Volynkin, A. V., 2017, On The Taxonomy Of The Genera Sesapa And Nipponasura (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae), Vestnik Zoologii 51 (5), pp. 369-374 : 370

Genus Sesapa Walker, 1854

Sesapa Walker, 1854: 547 .

T y p e s p e c i e s: Sesapa inscripta Walker, 1854 (by monotypy).

Nipponasura Inoue, 1965: 241 ; syn. n.

T y p e s p e c i e s: Nipponasura sanguinea Inoue, 1965 (by original designation).

D i a g n o s i s. Small moths; male antenna ciliate,female antenna filiform.Sexual dimorphism is poorly expressed: females are slightly larger and have paler hindwings than males. The male genitalia have the following autapomorphies: 1) the costa is broad and short, interrupted perpendicular to the valva axis, its length is only two-thirds or three quarters of valva length (whereas in other genera the costa is longer and distally narrowed or rounded); 2) the distal membranous lobe of valva is long, broad and well separated from the distal saccular process (whereas in other genera the distal membranous lobe of valva is smaller and the distal saccular process is usually situated close to it). In addition, the vesica of Sesapa has two or three clusters of numerous thin spines (whereas in the majority of genera of the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex vesica has short or very large cornuti or robust spines, only genera Asura and Xanthetis have clusters of numerous thin spines).The female genitalia are similar to those of other genera of the Asura / Miltochrista generic complex, but the antevaginal plate has deep and narrow medial concavity and irregularly dentate margins.

D i s t r i b u t i o n. South and East China.