Overview
The larvae of
Thereutis
(6 spp.),
Macarangela
and
Nematobela
(3 spp.) first mine the leaves of their host plants; later instars feed fully exposed on the foliage; they pupate in a strong, white cocoon among leaf litter. The males of
Amphithera
heteroleuca
have large eyes divided horizontally. The greyish white
Thereutis
have smaller, undivided eyes.
Chalcoteuches
phlogera
, with metallic coppery green fore wings, recalls the Palaearctic and Oriental type genus
Roeslerstammia
. [Kyrki 1983; Moriuti 1978.]
Description
Small, head with raised hair scales on vertex, usually smooth scaled on frons; ocelli and chaetosemata absent; compound eyes sometimes with posterior indentation or divided horizontally by a scaled band; antennae usually longer than fore wing, with pecten; proboscis present, naked; maxillary palps reduced, 1-segmented; labial palps long, slender, curved, sensilla not in pit; epiphysis present; spurs 0-2-4, hind tibia with long piliform scales above and short, dense tuft on underside between spurs; fore wing with chorda and M-stem sometimes present in cell, R
4
and R
5
stalked or fused, R
5
to costa; 1A + 2A with long fork; hind wing sometimes with pointed apex, M
3
and CuA
1
connate, stalked or fused; gnathos usually with 2 slender prongs; saccus usually present, bursa copulatrix usually with prominent signum. Larva with crochets in uniordinal lateral penellipse, sometimes partly biserial. Pupa with antennae reaching tip of abdomen or wrapped around abdomen, abdominal spiracles 7-8 sometimes slightly protruding, abdominal terga with transverse row of spines.