Overview
All species are reddish brown with circular, silvery-white spots on the fore wing. The genus has been placed in the Cossidae, Sesioidea and Pyraloidea by various authors. The biology of
D
.
actinias
was briefly described by Turner (1902); the larvae are stem-borers which excavate a tunnel to the outside bark prior to pupation and the pupae are protruded from the larval tunnel before eclosion. The only known host plant is
Canthium
attenuatum
.
Description
Medium-sized; head with short, rough vestiture of lamellar scales, frons with tuft of forwardly directed scales; ocelli and chaetosemata absent; antennae unipectinate, rarely bipectinate, to tip in both sexes; proboscis absent; maxillary palps rudimentary; labial palps well-developed, upturned; epiphysis present; spurs 0-2-4; hind tibiae with dorsal crest of long lamellar scales; fore wing with retinaculum between costa and Sc; with branched M in cell and chorda, R
4
to costa, CuP well developed; 1A + 2A with prominent fork; hind wing with frenulum of numerous fine bristles in female, Sc + R
1
and Rs subparallel, Rs and M
1
stalked, CuP present distally, 2 anal veins present; abdomen with paired, simple tympanal organ on S2 (Minet 1983); ovipositor well sclerotised, non-piercing. Larva and pupa unknown.
Distribution
The family contains only genus
Dudgeonea
(3 spp.), known from Africa, Madasgascar, India, Malaysia, New Guinea and northern Australia.