Lyces gopala (Dognin), 1891

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 : 776

Lyces gopala (Dognin) , new combination Plate 30

Flavinia gopala Dognin, 1891: 109 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Venezuela, Mérida, ‘‘Terre Tempérée’’.

TYPE: Syntype ♀ ( USNM type no. 30946).

DISCUSSION: Lyces gopala , known exclusively from the state of Mérida in the Andes of western Venezuela, occurs at elevations between 2000 and 2500 meters. Its sister species, L. patula (pl. 30) from Colombia, is extremely similar in both wing pattern and genital morphology. As is noted in the discussion for patula (below), these two names may ultimately be subsumed into one. In the meantime, I retain them as separate entities. Characters for separating L. gopala and L. patula are provided in the Patula Group species key. Lyces gopala (Dognin) was formerly in Josia ( Prout, 1918; Hering, 1925; Bryk, 1930), but is here assigned to Lyces for the first time.

Daniel Otero (Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida) reared Lyces gopala on Passiflora gritensis and P. cuneata (table 6). Miller (1996) described adult and larval morphology for this species, and its natural history was discussed by Miller and Otero (1994).

DISTRIBUTION: Venezuela (AMNH,BMNH, NMW, USNM, ZMH).

DISSECTED: Syntype ♀ (genitalia slide no. JSM-1532); ³, Venezuela, Mérida, Monterrey, El Valle, 2350 m, 14 Jun 1992, leg. L.D. Otero, ex ova on Passiflora gritensis, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-627); ³, Venezuela, Mérida, Nov 1898, leg. Bricenno, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-327); ♀, Venezuela, Mérida, Monterrey, El Valle, 2350 m, 14 Jun 1992, leg. L.D. Otero, ex ova on Passiflora gritensis, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-628); ♀, Venezuela, Mérida, leg. Bricenno, ZMH (genitalia slide no. JSM-661).