Ennominae, Duponchel, 1845

Young, Catherine J., 2006, Descriptions of the eggs of some southern Australian Geometridae (Lepidoptera), Zootaxa 1287, pp. 1-294 : 1-294

Comment on Ennominae

As found by Salkeld (1983) in her study of Nearctic geometrids, the eggs of the Australian Ennominae are diverse in form and morphology. No single set of characters can define the group as a whole. Furthermore tribes and groups within tribes share some characters with other subfamilies. The nacophorines Amelora , Aphantes , Gastrina and Nisista share features such as conspicuously domed aeropyles and prominent cell form with the Macariini . The eggs of the robust­bodied nacophorines Fisera , Mnesampela , Paralaea , Plesanemma and Thalaina form a more coherent group with broadly ovoid eggs, inconspicuous generally flat aeropyles and cell form. However this morphology is also a feature of the Oenochrominae s. str. and the grey Geometrinae (see below) and to a certain extent the Australian Archiearinae . Salkeld (1983) noted that a sloping anterior pole occurred relatively frequently within the Ennominae . This character was a feature of the robust­bodied nacophorines: Fisera , Mnesampela , Paralaea , Plesanemma and Thalaina and also the Australian Archiearinae . The planar sides of the eggs of Androchela spp. eggs is a character widespread in the green Geometrinae (see below) but may not necessarily be homologous. Elongated, narrow eggs with robust­walled cells arranged regularly into longitudinal rows are unifying characters for the Boarmiini . However similar features are found in the Caberini , Lithinini ( Idiodes only), Oenochrominae s. l. and Sterrhinae ; although it is only in the Caberini and Sterrhinae that prominent lengthwise ribs are also present.