Josia oribia Druce, 1885

Miller, James S, 2009, Generic Revision Of The Dioptinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Notodontidae) Part 2: Josiini, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (321), pp. 675-1022 : 818-819

Josia oribia Druce Figure 339A–E ; plate 32

Josia oribia Druce, 1885b: 528 .

TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘E. Peru’’.

TYPE: Syntype ³, leg. Whitely ( BMNH)

Josia schnusei Strand, 1920: 134 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Bolivia, Sarampioni to Mapiri

TYPE: Holotype ♀ (not seen), leg. W. Schnuse, ‘‘I.–IV.’’

DISCUSSION: Josia oribia is distinguished by the wide, distally rounded longitudinal stripes of the FW and HW. The FW costa is dark with a few buff-colored scales, and the head is creamy white as in J. ligula . Numerous similarities of the genitalia suggest that Josia oribia and J. ligula are close relatives (compare figs. 338, 339A–E). In addition, they are roughly the same size (FW length 5 12.0–16.0 mm). Other than the width of their wing stripes, the most reliable way to separate them is by differences in the shape of the sclerites at the base of the female CB. Even then, it is best to have dissections of both species on hand for comparison. The remarkable mimicry between Josia oribia and Erbessa mimica (pl. 4) is discussed in reference to the latter.

The BMNH male dissected (JSM-325) was identified by Martin Hering as ‘‘ schnusei ’’, supposedly a form of oribia . I was not able to locate the schnusei type, but follow previous authors in retaining it as a synonym of oribia .

DISTRIBUTION: Peru (AMNH, BMNH, CUIC, FNHM, MUSM, OUMNH, ZMH); Bolivia (BMNH, USNM, ZMH).

DISSECTED: ³, Peru, Marcapata, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-325 ) ; ♀, Peru, Río Colorado , 2500 ft, Aug 1903, leg. Watkins & Tomlinson, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-326 ) .

Figures

Fig. 339. Genitalia of Josia. A, ³ of J. oribia (JSM-325); B, aedeagus of J. oribia; C, ♀ of J. oribia