Synegiodes, Swinhoe, 1892

Cui, Le, Jiang, Nan, Stüning, Dieter & Han, Hongxiang, 2018, A review of Synegiodes Swinhoe, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4387 (2), pp. 259-274 : 270-273

“ Synegiodes ” brunnearia ( Leech, 1897)

Figs 14–15 , 25 , 35, 44

Ephyra brunnearia Leech, 1897 , Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6) 20: 107. Syntypes 5 Ƌ, 1♀, China (western): Chow-pin-sa; Wa-ssukow ; Ni-tou; Kia-ting-fu ( BMNH).

Anisephyra brunnearia: Prout, 1913 , in Seitz, Macrolepid. World 4: 46, pl.5: f. Synegiodes brunnearia: Prout, 1934 , in Strand, Lepid. Cat. 61: 48.

Description. Antennae bipectinate in male and filiform in female. Wings brown, densely suffused with brown spots; apex of forewing pointed; outer margin of hindwing slightly protruding at vein M3. Veins R1 to R5 longstalked in front of the areole on forewing. Antemedial line indistinct with black spots on forewing; medial line absent; postmedial line curved, composed of black spots on both wings. Discal spot on forewing black and whitecentred on hindwing. Male genitalia ( Figs 25 , 35). Uncus thick. A long spinose process from tegumen present, with a spur at base. Valva broad but thin terminally, and densely setose on ventral margin; costa strongly inflated, with hillock-shaped process at middle (in fig. 25 the valva folded back artificially and thus not in correct position). Aedeagus thin, with indistinct sclerotized bands on vesica. Female genitalia ( Fig. 44 ). Papillae anales pointed. Apophyses anteriores about 1/2 as long as of apophyses posteriores in length. Lamella antevaginalis sclerotized and irregular; lamella postvaginalis oval and strongly sclerotized; Ductus bursae nearly as long as corpus bursae, sclerotized weakly on posterior part. Corpus bursae rounded and lacking signum.

Diagnosis. Compared to true members of Synegiodes , “ Synegiodes ” brunnearia is characterized by differences in wing pattern and genitalia. The ground color is pale greyish brown, rather uniform; the postmedial lines are composed of small black dots only; antemedial lines are similar. The medial lines broad and continuous, but indistinct, shadow-like. The discal spot on the forewing is a tiny black dot, almost invisible and situated distinctly outside the medial shade, not white-centred as in typical Synegiodes . However, a white-centred discal spot is found in the hindwing of brunnearia . In the male genitalia, brunnearia possesses a pair of long teguminal processes. Compared with the species of Synegiodes , they have a different shape and are located more posteriorly. The shape of the valva, very uniform in Synegiodes , is also completely different. In the female genitalia, the colliculum is absent, but well developed in all Synegiodes . The corpus bursae is oval, without a signum and abruptly constricted towards the narrow ductus bursae but it is drop-shaped and narrowing gradually to a wide ductus bursae (in some species the ductus bursae is as wide as the corpus bursae), the ductus is extended to a curved diverticulum near the colliculum and the signum is present and of a very distinctive shape in Synegiodes .

Material examined. CHINA: Hubei ( IZCAS) : 1 6, Xingshan, Longmenhe, 1260 m, 19.VI.1993, coll. Yao Jian. Hunan ( IZCAS) : 1 6, Nanyue Linchang, 10.X.1980, coll. Li Jutao; 1 6 1♀, Shimen county, Huping Shan, Nanpingcun & Dalingcun, 320–444 m, 15, 18.X.2014, coll. Yao Jian & Zhao Kaidong (slide Nos 3474 & 3475). Guangxi ( IZCAS) : 1 6, Napo, Nonghua, 1000 m, 14.IV.1998, coll. Li Wenzhu. Sichuan ( IZCAS) : 10 6 3 ♀, Emei Shan, Qingyinge, 800–1000 m, 23–26.IV.1957, 15–20.IX.1957, coll. Zhu Fuxing (slide Nos 3314 & 3315). Yunnan ( IZCAS) : 1 6, Pingbian, Dawei Shan, 1500 m, 18.VI.1956, coll. Huang Keren; 1 6 2♀, Jingdong , 1170 m, 22, 29.V.1956, coll. A.K. Zaguljaev; 8 6 4♀, Baoshan, Bawan, 1100 m, 19–23.V.1992, coll. Xue Dayong; 1 6, Baoshan, Baihualing, 1500 m, 14.VI.2006, coll. Zhang Peiyi. Numerous specimens from Sichuan, Hunan and Zhejiang in coll. ZFMK .

Distribution. China (Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan).

FIGURE. 45. The red arrow shows the folded membrane on the posterior surface of metathorax which opposite to the tympanal opening of S. elasmlatus in males.

Remarks. The species brunnearia Leech was originally described in the genus Ephyra Duponchel, 1829, which is treated as a synonym of Cyclophora Hübner, 1822 at present ( Parsons et al. 1999). Prout (1913: 46) placed it in Anisephyra Warren, with a statement that it is not a typical species of Anisephyra. Later Prout (1935: 27) transferred brunnearia to Synegiodes , though he noted that brunnearia is divergent in a number of characters from the other species of Synegiodes . Again some years later Prout (1938: 152) stated that brunnearia is somewhat aberrant from Synegiodes , his earlier treatment as a member of Anisephyra was probably preferable or that brunnearia may require a separate genus. Since then, its position in Synegiodes has not changed.

Anisephyra was a valid generic name in Fletcher (1979), while Parsons et al. (1999) treated it as a synonym of the predominantly African genus Palaeaspilates Warren , by transferring its type species rufaria to the latter, without giving any reason, and leaving ocularia Fabricius, the only other species of Anisephyra, in “ Anisephyra ”. Prout (1938: 152) considered ocularia to have very much in common with the African Palaeaspilates , so probably it should also be transferred to this genus.

It is obvious that brunnearia does not belong to Synegiodes and it is also very different from rufaria, the type species of Anisephyra (pl. 16e in Prout, 1938) externally, for example, in the different forewing postmedial line and hindwing discal spot.

Summarized, “ Synegiodes ” brunnearia probably requires a new genus, but a detailed study of related genera should be done before, and this is beyond the scope of the present paper.

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Adults. 1–2. S. sanguinaria; 1. Ƌ, China, Yunnan, 2. Ƌ, India, Arunachal Pradesh (ZFMK); 3. S. punicearia (holotype, IZCAS), Ƌ, China, Sichuan; 4–5. S. histrionaria; 4. Ƌ, China, Tibet, 5. Ƌ, N. India, Khasi Hills (paratype, ZFMK); 6–7. S. ornata (ZFMK); 6. Ƌ, China, Taiwan (dark form), 7. Ƌ, China, Taiwan (light form); 8. S. diffusifascia, Ƌ, N. India, Khasi Hills (paratype, ZFMK); 9–10. S. expansus 9. Ƌ, China, Guangdong (holotype, IZCAS); 10. ♀, (paratype, ZFMK), S. China, Guangdong; 11. S. obliquifascia, Ƌ, China, Tibet; 12. S.hyriaria, Ƌ, China, Tibet; 13. S. elasmlatus(holotype, IZCAS), Ƌ, China, Yunnan; 14–15. “S”. brunnearia, 14. Ƌ, China, Yunnan, 15. Ƌ, China, Sichuan.Scale bar = 10mm.

FIGURES24–25. Male genitalia. 24.S. elasmlatus(paratype, IZCAS), China, Yunnan; 25 S. brunnearia, China, Sichuan.26– 35. Aedeagi. 26. S. sanguinaria, China, Yunnan; 27. S. punicearia (holotype, IZCAS), China, Sichuan; 28. S. histrionaria, China, Tibet; 29. S. ornata, China, Taiwan; 30. S. diffusifascia (paratype, ZFMK), N. India, Khasi Hills; 31. S. expansus (holotype, IZCAS), China, Guangdong; 32. S. obliquifascia, China, Tibet; 33. S. hyriaria, China, Tibet; 34. S. elasmlatus (paratype, IZCAS), China, Yunnan; 35. “S”. brunnearia, China, Sichuan. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES36–44.Female genitalia.36.S.sanguinaria, China, Tibet;37.S.punicearia (paratype,IZCAS), China,Sichuan; 38. S. histrionaria, China, Yunnan; 39. S. ornata, China, Taiwan; 40. S. expansus (paratype, IZCAS), China, Guangdong; 41. S. obliquifascia, China, Tibet; 42. S. hyriaria, China, Tibet; 43. S. elasmlatus (paratype, IZCAS), China, Yunnan; 44. “S”. brunnearia, China, Sichuan. Scale bars = 1 mm.