Scientific classification

Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Lepidoptera > Ditrysia > Thyridoidea > Thyrididae > Striglininae > Mathoris

Genus Mathoris  Guenee, 1877

Type species: crepuscula Guenée (1877: 282) which is a junior subjective syn. of procurata (Walker, 1861: 672) (Cambogia) from Brazil (Syn. n. Whalley, 1976:137).

Syn. letchina Moore (1885b:257). Syn. n. Shaffer & Nielsen (1996).

Whalley (1964:13, 7: 122 & 1976;:135.) makes an incorrect citation of the type species as roseola (Felder, Felder & Rogenhofer, 1872, pl. 134, fig. 5) (Siculodes).

Generic description: Labial palps three segmented. The eye is flattened on the posterior margin making it slightly reniform. No interfacetal hairs. Fore tibia has an epiphysis and hind tibia two pairs of spurs. Tarsi have paired apical spines. FW with R2 + R3 and HW with Sc + R1 and Rs joining for part of the length. The male genitalia have well developed socii as two forward projecting arms. Female has a highly modified ostium (Whalley 1971:51).

Mathoris is a pantropical genus of small species. They are an uncommon but distinctive group of a dark purple colour with blood-red and yellow reticulate patches and a few pale fenestrae. There are about five named species. Most are from South America with only one named species from Africa and two from India: M. loceusalis (Walker, 1859e:903) (Pyralis) and M. ignepicta (Hampson, 1905a:152, pl. D, fig. 6, 1905b:196) (Striglina). Curiously M. loceusalis is only reported from India (Hindustan) and Australia (Q). However at least five other unnamed morphotypes occur in SE Asia.