Argyrotaenia Stephens
Type species: politana Haworth = ljungiana Thunberg
DIAGNOSIS
External characters:
Venation:
venation Argyrotaenia ljungiana
Forewing: All veins separate; median part of CuP atrophied.
Hindwing: R strongly approaches M 1 basally; M 3 - CuA 1 extending from one point.
Forewing shape and markings:
Argyrotaenia ljungiana male 1; Argyrotaenia ljungiana female 1
Forewing relatively long and slender, without costal fold.
Sexual dimorphism:
Males are somewhat smaller than females.
Genitalia:
Male:
male genitalia A. ljungiana
Uncus slender, often expanding terminally, usually with weak ventral hairy brush apically; socii extremely small or absent; gnathos arm slender, terminal plate fairly large, pointed; distal fold of vinculum sclerotized only subventrally. Valva elongate-ovate, with bunch of long scent scales in basal portion (usually dorsally) and provided with weak sclerite and curved, longitudinal folds beneath middle of disc; sacculus slender, without free termination. Transtilla plate-shaped, tapering medially; juxta small. Aedeagus slender with rather small caulis and well-developed coecum penis; cornuti short, often broad.
Female:
female gen. A. ljungiana
Sterigma concave in middle dorsally, with distinctly sclerotized anterior edge and lateral arms which taper terminally; antrum not broader than ductus bursae; ductus seminalis situated post-medially; ductus bursae short, with plate-shaped, folded sclerite in basal portion; signum with large funnel-shaped part and variably developed capitulum.
Early stages:
Swatschek, 1958, provides the following diagnosis for the larvae. Stemmata 3, 4 and 6 darker than the other stemmata, the second stemma closer to the third than to the first. Microscopic seta SD2 situated on the edge of SD pinaculum; the latter is situated ventro-cranial to spiracle on the eighth abdominal segment.
Biology:
There are often two generations yearly, but Argyrotaenia ljungiana can have one or three generations as well in the various parts of its distribution. Larvae are polyphagous.
Distribution:
Of the about 20 known species, one occurs in the Palaearctic Region. The majority of species are Nearctic.