Systematics of the Genus Heterothera Inoue (Lepidoptera, Geometridae: Larentiinae)

Abstract

sized geometrid moths in the subfamily Larentiinae, which are widely spread in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions. The genus was erected by Inoue (1943) based on the following characters: the absence of uncus, long anal tube, stout and flat saccus, weakly sclerotized costa and a well developed sacculus. The monophyly of the genus Heterothera s.s. was first defined by Viidalepp (1980). He listed seven apomorphies for the genus: the bifid saccus, the absence of an uncus, the membranous ductus and corpus bursae without signum, the simple sterigma, the distinct sacculus, the presence of cornuti on the vesica, and the filiform male antenna. Two synapomorphies out of seven, the bifid saccus and the absence of uncus, were unique to Heterothera s.s. However, the character ‘absence of uncus’ was found to be incorrect. Inoue (1982) proposed a new genus Viidaleppia for the species of Asaphodes sensu Viidalepp (1980). Later, he (Inoue 1986) described the characters of the genus Viidaleppia as: doubly bipectinated male antenna, strongly sclerotized costa and pointed apex of forewing, sclerotized and plate-like sacculus, well developed apical projection of the sacculus, numerous spinular cornuti, well developed sterigma, and a broad ductus bursae. However, the genus Heterothera s.s. was found to be paraphyletic in relation to Viidaleppia and the latter was synonymized with Heterothera in a cladistic analysis of the Cidariini sensu Herbulot (Choi 1997; see ‘Diagnosis and monophyly’ for synapomorphies).