A NEW-TYPE OF TYMPANAL ORGAN IN MALE URAN IIDAE (LEPIDOPTERA)

The Uraniidae are the only lepidopteran family known to show strong se xual dimorphism in tympanal structures. Unlike the tympanal organs of the female, which have a rather uniform morphology throughout the fami ly and lie ventrally at the base of the abdomen, those of the male are situated laterally, at the junction between the second and third abdo minal terga, and may pertain either to the classic uraniid type, or to a fairly different, previously unknown type. The latter is mainly cha racterized by the shape and location of the internal sclerite from whi ch arise the scolopidia (sensory components), and - in most cases - by the separation of the two scolopidia, which are normally fused into a single element (the scoloparium). This unusual morphology leads to th e definition of a new subfamily, the Auzeinae, regarded as the mart pr imitive member of the Uraniidae. An assessment is made of the phylogen etic relationships between the four uraniid subfamilies : Auzeinae, Ep ipleminae, Microniinae, and Uraniinae. Possible homologies are discuss ed with regard to certain components of the male and female tympanal o rgans.