Notascea nudata (Hering) Miller, James S, 2009

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 : 800

Notascea nudata (Hering) , new combination Plate 31

Scea nudata Hering, 1925: 529 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Brazil.

TYPE: Lectotype ³/ Paralectotype ♀, leg. Sello ( ZMH).

DISCUSSION: Though described in Scea ( Hering, 1925) because of its wing pattern, this species belongs in Notascea . Notascea nudata is known exclusively from the male and female syntypes (ZMH). The male is here designated as the lectotype, while the female becomes a paralectotype.

This species can quickly be distinguished from other Notascea species because it shows a single black line within the orange basal FW triangle (pl. 31), running along the cubitus from the base to approximately one third of the way out. Another useful diagnostic trait involves the frontal scales. In N. nudata , the front is light brown in the center and white along the lateral margins, whereas in other Notascea species the front is uniformly gray-brown to dark gray, without white scales.

A beautiful series in the Vitor Becker Collection (4³³, 1♀) represents an undescribed Notascea species with a wing pattern similar to that of N. nudata . In these, two veins—the base of the radius and the base of the cubitus—are lined with black. This undescribed taxon appears to be the smallest member of the genus (FW length 5 12.5–14.5 mm). Its slide data are as follows: ³, Brazil, BA, Camacã, 600 m, 15 Nov 1995, leg. V.O. Becker, VOB (genitalia slide no. JSM-910); ♀, Brazil, Espírito Santo, Linhares, 40 m, 5–9 Apr 1992, leg. V.O. Becker, VOB (genitalia slide no. JSM-911).

DISTRIBUTION: Brazil (VOB, ZMH).

DISSECTED: ³ type, ‘‘7834’’, ( JSM-1767 ) ; ♀ type [no data] ( JSM-1768 ) .

Notascea obliquaria (Warren) , new combination Figures 331A–C, 331E , 332C–F , 334 ; plate 32 [EX]

Scea obliquaria Warren, 1906: 315 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Brazil, Paraná, Castro. TYPE: Holotype ³ ( USNM type no. 9169).

DISCUSSION: This species, described in Scea ( Warren, 1906) , has resided there ever since ( Prout, 1918; Hering, 1925; Bryk, 1930). I unwittingly chose it as an exemplar for cladistic analysis, but the result was surprising. Rather than grouping with other Scea species as would be expected, obliquaria instead fell out as a separate clade, far removed from its so-called relatives (fig. 283). Eventually, I concluded that a new genus— Notascea —should be created to accommodate N. obliquaria and three additional josiines, all extremely obscure.

Within Notascea , N. obliquaria is distinguished by the extensive amounts of black lining the veins within the orange FW area (pl. 32). Its genitalia are typical of the clade (see genus diagnosis), but males also show features unique to the species, such as extremely thin socii (fig. 334A) and a narrow anterior apophysis on St8 (fig. 334B).

While most Notascea species are rare, N. obliquaria is fairly well represented in collections. It also reigns as the most widespread taxon in the genus, having been collected in an area broadly bordering the northern limits of the Pampas, at elevations between 100 and 1000 meters.

DISTRIBUTION: Brazil (AMNH, BMNH, USNM, VOB); Paraguay (BMNH, USNM); Argentina (AMNH); Bolivia (BMNH, LACM); Peru (BMNH).

DISSECTED: Holotype ³ (genitalia slide no. JSM-1514 ); ³, Paraguay, Sapucay, 16 Aug 1904, leg. W. Foster, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-356 ); ³, Brazil, Planaltina , 1000 m, 26 Aug 1986, leg. V. O. Becker, VOB (genitalia slide no. JSM-480 ); ³, Paraguay, Depto. Concepción, Ao. Tatatiya-mi, 22 ° 39 9 S, 56 ° 01 9 W, 10–17 Apr 1986, leg. M. Pogue & A. Solis, USNM (genitalia slide no. JSM-1752 , wing slide no. JSM-1472 ); ♀, Brazil, Sta. Catharina, leg. Fritz Hoffmann, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-1751 ); ♀, Bolivia, Prov. Sara, Dept. S. Cruz de la Sierra, Apr–May 1904, leg. J. Steinbach, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-357 ).

Figures

Fig. 331. Morphology of Notascea (³³). A, head of N. obliquaria, lateral view; B, head of N. obliquaria, frontal view; C, head of N. obliquaria, posterior view; D, head of N. loxa, sp. nov., lateral view; E, wings of N. obliquaria, showing outline of orange basal region and position of FW fascias (illustration by J.S. Miller).

Fig. 332. Scanning electron micrographs of Scea angustimargo and Notascea obliquaria (³³). A, FW of S. angustimargo (dorsal surface), showing area at anterolateral corner of DC; B, S. angustimargo, showing elongate scales at base of radial sector; C, FW of N. obliquaria (dorsal surface), showing fovea beyond anterolateral corner of DC, between bases of radial sector and R1; D, short, rounded scales within FW fovea of N. obliquaria; E, single round scale from FW fovea of N. obliquaria; F, close-up of rounded scale in E.

Fig. 334. Genitalia of Notascea obliquaria (³ JSM-356, ♀ JSM-357). A, ³ genitalia; B, ³ St8; C, aedeagus; D, ³ Tg8; E, ♀ genitalia (illustration by A. Trabka).