LOPHOCHORISTITI

LOPHOCHORISTITI AND HELIOTHEITI

Ferguson (1969) erected the tribe Lophochoristini by including the genera Lophochorista Warren and Eueana Prout. Cook (1993) gave a detailed revision of the neotropical genus Oospila Warren , defined this monophyletic group by the presence of an anellar complex and suggested that Oospila and Lophochorista may be sister taxa. Pitkin (1996) added Anomphax Warren , Telotheta Warren and Oospila to the tribe Lophochoristini . Heliotheini , a tribe erected based on Heliothea Boisduval and another Afrotropical genus, Petovia , was described as a subfamily, but its rank was challenged by Vives Moreno (1994), Müller (1996) and Viidalepp (1996). Later, it was subordinated under Geometrinae by Holloway (1996) and Hausmann (1996). Holloway (1996) suggested Lophochoristini and Heliotheini as junior synonyms of Rhomboristini on the basis of their similar genitalic features.

In this study, both Oospila and Petovia are grouped in the tribe Hemitheini , with their positions not resolved. Although Oospila is not the type genus of Lophochoristini , it shares some features with Lophochorista , such as a similar wing pattern, bearing abdominal tufts and possessing a medio-ventral sclerite in the valva ( Pitkin, 1996). In addition, Pitkin (1996) pointed out that the ventral sclerite on the valva of the Lophochoristini also occurred in the Rhomboristini and Chlorissa (Hemitheini) , which implied a relationship with Hemitheini . Beljaev (2016) also included Lophochoristini in his broad concept of Hemitheini . Thus, it is reasonable to treat Lophochoristini as a subtribe of Hemitheini . However, the position of the tribe Heliotheini is in doubt, as it has some unique features within Geometrinae , such as the shape of the ansa in the tympanal organ, the yellow wing colour and some unusual larval features ( Hausmann, 2001). Considering that Heliotheini has similar genitalic features with Hemistoliti ( Hausmann, 2001: fig. 11; Han & Xue, 2009: figs 58–61), and Petovia is clustered in Hemitheini in this study, though not as type genus, we tentatively retain Heliotheini as a subtribe. Further study, including Lophochorista and Heliothea , is needed to resolve the phylogenetic position of the Lophochoristiti and Heliotheiti.