Plusiinae

Joshi, Rahul, Raha, Angshuman, Bandyopadhyay, Uttaran, Bhattacharyya, Kamalika & Singh, Navneet, 2025, A catalogue of Noctuidae Latreille, 1809 (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from India, Zootaxa 5669 (1), pp. 1-225 : 5

1. Plusiinae are typically mesophilic, and have several unique characters not present in other noctuids. They are most commonly identified by the characteristically falcate forewing. The forewing markings generally have a shiny mettalic marking beside the cell, often as a streak or a ‘u’ representing an extension of the orbicular and that in some genera can be fused to become a ‘y’. The thorax and anterior abdomen contain a dorsal crest of scale tufts that match the hue of the forewings. In all Oriental taxa, the antennae of both sexes are filiform. Males often exhibit lateral tufts of long scales on abdominal segments 5 and 6, and occasionally on others. The male genitalia have various distinguishing characteristics, the valvae are elongate with marginal setae, occasionally a corona, and usually a simple, slender harpe at approximately one-third centrally and a clavus basally, lying next to the juxta. The saccus frequently has tiny triangular flaps centrally and ventrally. The sclerotisation of the shaft of the phallus is limited to a ventral band, and has a bulbous base with the ductus ejaculatorius inserted distal to the swelling. The vesica is typically long and tubular, with rows of massive, slender cornuti, though these may be reduced to a single apical cornuti ( Holloway 1985).