Pseudohemihyalea syracosia (Druce) Schmidt, 2009

Schmidt, Christian, 2009, Revision of the " Aemilia " ambigua (Strecker) species-group (Noctuidae, Arctiinae), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 63-78 : 70-72

Pseudohemihyalea syracosia (Druce) , stat. nov., comb. n.

Figs. 2 , 7 , 12 , 17 , 23 , 25

Halisidota syracosia Druce, 1889: 87 .

Aemilia ambigua Toulgoët, 1997 nec. Strecker, 1848.

Type material. Female holotype [BMNH], photograph examined. Type locality: “ Mexico, Omilteme [Omiltemi], Guerrero, 8000 feet.” The right antenna and abdomen of the holotype are missing, but the wings are in excellent condition. The abdomen associated with the holotype (in a separate vial) was determined by A. Watson not

to belong to the holotype; the holotype abdomen has apparently been lost, since no matching slide exists either (M. Honey, pers. comm.).

Diagnosis. Pseudohemihyalea syracosia is most similar to and was long confused with P. ambigua . They can usually be distinguished without dissection, since P. syracosia is slightly smaller and less robust with narrower rust-brown forewing striae on average and less rust brown overall. This species also has a more southern distribution than P. ambigua . Sexual size dimorphism is less pronounced in P. syracosia than in

P. ambigua , with female P. syracosia averaging very nearly the same size as males (mean forewing length 20 mm), whereas P. ambigua females average about 24 mm in forewing length compared to 22 mm in males. Genitalic differences are given under P. ambigua .

Biology and distribution. The immature stages are unknown. Adults have been collected in pine-oak forest, from 1700 m to 2230 m. Collection dates range from mid-May to early September. Pseudohemihyalea s yraciosa occurs from Michoacan, Mexico to Honduras ( Fig. 25 ), flying in strict sympatry with P. fallaciosa at some sites.

Remarks. Pseudohemihyalea syracosia has long been treated as a subjective synonym of P. ambigua , but the characters given above in the diagnosis and species key show it is distinct from P. ambigua , with a more southerly and apparently allopatric distribution. The diagnosis and illustrations of “ P. ambigua ” given by Toulgoët (1997) apply to P. syraciosa .

Figures

Figure 25. Distribution of examined specimens of Pseudohemihyalea.

Figures 1-5. 1a. P. ambigua male (Santa Cruz Co., AZ, USA). 1b. P. ambigua female (Cochise Co., AZ, USA). 2a. P. syracosia male (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 2b. P. syracosia female (Chiapas, Mexico). 3a. P. fallaciosa male (Chiapas, Mexico). 3b. P. fallaciosa female (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 4a. P. sonorosa male paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 4b. P. sonorosa female paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 5. P. potosi male holotype (Nuevo Leon, Mexico).

Figures 6-10. 6. P. ambigua, right lateral view of male genital capsule, aedeagus removed. 7. P. syracosia, lateral view of right valve. 8. P. fallaciosa, lateral view of right valve. 9. P. sonorosa, lateral view of right valve. 10. P. potosi, lateral view of right valve.

Figures 11-15. Dorsal view of uncus (setae omitted). 11. P. ambigua. 12. P. syracosia. 13. P. fallaciosa. 14. P. potosi. 15. P. sonorosa.

Figures 16-20. Left lateral view of aedeagus, with fully inflated vesica. 16. P. ambigua. 17. P. syracosia. 18. P. fallaciosa. 19. P. potosi. 20. P. sonorosa.

Figures 21-24. Ventral view of female 8th sternite and bursa copulatrix (corpus bursae on left, bulla seminalis on right). 21. P. ambigua. 22. P. sonorosa. 23. P. syracosia. 24. P. fallaciosa.