Scientific classification

Animalia > Arthropoda > Insecta > Lepidoptera > Ditrysia > Thyridoidea > Thyrididae > Siculodinae > Siculodini > Microbelia

Genus Microbelia  Warren, 1906

Type species: curvinota Warren 1906:64,65, by original designation, is from PNG (Angabunga River, 1800m+)

Generic description: The palpi are obliquely porrect upwards with a thick ‘rough haired’ second segment and with a short terminal segment. The antennae are thick and lamellate. The legs are long and the wing neuration is simple. The FW is elongate with a straight costa, convex only below apex which is slightly prominent. The termen is slightly bulged at the middle, very oblique below (relative to the costa). The HW is a narrow oblong with the apex rounded to a slight elbow at vein 7 [R5]. The termen is bulged at the middle and inbent on each side. The inner margin is very short, Un FW without metallic or hair-like scales (Warren, 1906:64)

Warren’s original generic description, above, based on external morphology of the type does not use particularly distinctive features and the publication of a new definition based on genitalic and other characteristics would be useful.

This is a genus of small brown mottled species. Many have a single black punctum in the central area of the FW & HW. Most have large V-shaped marks extending back from the FW costa. It differs from Banisia in the short terminal segment of the palp (Warren, 1906:64). Microbelia has about 17 species, mainly with leaf rolling larvae, ranging from India to the Solomon Is., mostly from New Guinea (RTS:133). Three species are recorded from Borneo.