Atrachea Warren, 1911

Babics, J., Kononenko, V. S. & Saldaitis, A., 2012, New genus and three new species of the subfamily Xyleninae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), Zootaxa 3509, pp. 55-68 : 67

Genus Atrachea Warren, 1911

( Type species Spaelotis nitens Butler, 1878 , Japan, Yokohama , by original designation) .

Synonymy: Trichosternum Draudt, 1959 ; Zutragum Nye, 1975 (replacement name); Hadena auct., Trachea auct., Apamea auct.

Diagnosis. Atrachea is a typical genus of the tribe Apameini . It is diagnosed as follows: medium size moths, antennae filiform, serrate in one case bipectinate; palpae short, pressed, 3 rd segment 2–2,5 times shorter than 2 nd; segments of tarsus with three rows of spines; ground colour of forewing brown, grey-brown with green scales, often with salad-green, olive or grassy-green fields, or filled with green between fascia. In male genitalia uncus simple, juxta plate- or anchor-like, aedeagus relatively short, vesica tubular, without cornuti, or globular extended medially, armed with single strong or several small cornuti, in some species-group cornuti are very large, strong, spine- or beak-like; valva lobe-like, with somewhat separated cucullus; costa strong, digitus strong, well developed, clasper plate-like, harpe completely reduced or vestigial, ampulla-like. In female genitalia papillae anales strong, sclerotised, flattened dorso-ventrally, with rod-like structures between ovipositor lobes. Apophyses anteriores and posteriores strong, short; antrum funnel- or cup-like, heavily sclerotised; ductus bursae relatively short, often slightly scletotised; corpus bursae membranous, or sclerotised proximally, in some cases with sclerotised acute extension, corresponding to the strong cornutus in male. The shape of the ovipositor lobes in the female genitalia is characteristic for the Apameini and typical for species trophically connected with Poaceae grasses, which lie eggs in split between steam and leave of the foodplant.

The Far Eastern and Chinese species of Atrachea have been revised by Kononenko (1986, 20001). The genus distributed predominantly from Sino-Tibetan to Manchurian subregions of the Palaearctic. It compises 13 species listed below. Probably some more species of Atrachea with green elements of wing pattern are still included to some unrevised genera of Xyleninae .