Notoplusia, SCHAUS, 1901

28. NOTOPLUSIA SCHAUS, 1901 View in CoL

Notoplusia Schaus, 1901 . Type species: Phalaena clara Stoll, 1780 , in Cramer. Pap. Exot. 4: 43 pi 311 Fig

Adults. ( Figure 3E View FIGURE 3 , 11F View FIGURE 11 ) Head: male antennae pectinated to basal half; antennal tufts absent; female antennae simple ciliate; ocelli absent; third segment of labial palpus short. Thorax: tarsal claws bifid; male prothoracic leg lacks scent organ (however N. clara has a tibia scent pocket according to Weller (1989)). Wings: males 36 to 42 mm, females 42 to 46 mm; forewing with accessory cell present, hindwing with Sc-Rs connate. Forewing coloration light to dark brown with 1–2 large white triangles or green hourglass marking. Abdomen: caudal tuft prominent. Male terminalia ( Figure 7C View FIGURE 7 , 8H View FIGURE 8 ): eighth tergite with large midplate; eighth sternite plain. Valvae with SSO present with long hair-like scales, sometimes reduced; saccular base varying from compact to elongate; weak midvalve sclerotization; costa membranous with a sinuous tip. Uncus simple with a curved tip with long setae, sometimes a membranous dorsal projection present; socii upturned with a snake fang-like shape; a ribbon of sclerotization extending to juxta; juxta shallowly concave, fused to base of sacculus, costulae present. Aedeagus long and thin, callosum foot-like; distiphallus slightly to extremely curved. Female terminalia: Eighth tergite wishbone shaped, lacking ornamentation; eighth sternite with lateral patches of setae on rounded prominences; papillae anales highly modified, ovipositor lobes flattened with stout, short, curved setae covering surface, long slender setae from periphery; posterior and anterior apophyses short and stout; ostium bursae wide or half-length of sternite; lamella antevaginalis thick, heavily sclerotized and M-shaped. Ductus bursae sclerotized and dorso-ventrally flattened. Corpus bursae with shield strongly or weakly sclerotized; a pair of signum present; ductus seminalis arising from right-hand, caudal edge of shield.

Diagnosis. Notoplusia can be easily recognized due to the large and bright white triangles present on the forewing. The female genitalia with setose and bulbouse papillae anales distinguish this genus. In male genitalia the thin and setose tip of the uncus with particularly large setae, and the fang-like shape of the socii are diagnostic.

Comments. Notoplusia means a gold or rich mark, it probably refers to the white forewing scales ( Weller 1989). In some noctuids, females with similar ovipositor setae use accessory gland secretions to glue sawdust into a protective case for the eggs. Similar female ovipositor morphology occurs in Lyricinus xylophasioides ( Weller 1989) . Female genitalia illustrated in Weller (1989).

Distribution. From Costa Rica to South Brazil.

Species included (5).

Notoplusia clara (Stall, 1780) *

Notoplusia flavodiscata (Dognin,1911)

Notoplusia joanna Thiaucourt, 1995

Notoplusia marchiana Schaus, 1928

Notoplusia minuta (Druce, 1900)