Lyces patula (Walker), 1864

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 : 777-778

Lyces patula (Walker) , new combination Figure 320B–D ; plate 30 [EX]

Josia patula Walker, 1864: 132 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, ‘‘ Bogotá ’’.

TYPE: Syntype ³, ex Stevens Collection ( BMNH).

Smicropus consepta Dognin, 1913: 6 . New synonymy.

TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, Monte Tolima, 3200 m, Central Cordillera.

TYPE: Holotype ♀, leg. Fassl ( USNM type no. 33034).

Josia gephyra Hering, 1925: 528 , fig. 71f. New synonymy. TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, Cañon del

Tolima, Cent. Cord., 1700 m. TYPE: Holotype ³, leg. Fassl ( ZMH).

DISCUSSION: Lyces patula is here referred to Lyces from Josia , where it has resided since its original description ( Walker, 1864). This species is difficult to distinguish from L. gopala (pl. 30). The FW stripes are short in both, and their male and female genitalia are extremely similar. The only differences I could find are employed in the Patula Group species key (above). Lyces patula seems to be consistently larger than L. gopala . The FW stripe in L. patula males is generally narrower than in L. gopala , but this trait shows variability throughout the Josiini , as was stressed by Forbes (1931); L. patula females show a wide FW stripe (pl. 30). Additional study may reveal that L. patula and L. gopala represent a single species. Here, I retain them as distinct, following previous authors.

My studies reveal that consepta Dognin (1913) , from Monte Tolima, Colombia, is a new synonym of L. patula . The consepta female holotype shows genitalia (JSM-1531) indistinguishable from L. patula . Furthermore, I here propose gephyra Hering as a second new synonym of L. patula . The type locality for gephyra is Monte Tolima, Colombia, the same as that of consepta . Their wing patterns are identical. For some reason, the name consepta does not appear in major publications on the Dioptinae ( Prout, 1918; Hering, 1925; Bryk, 1930). The type is at the USNM.

Lyces patula is endemic to Colombia. All the specimens I have seen were collected in close proximity to Bogotá.

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia (AMNH, BMNH, CMNH, CAS, CUIC, NMW, OUMNH) .

DISSECTED: ³, Colombia, Bogotá, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-331 ) ; ♀, Colombia, Muzo , 400–800 m, leg. Fassl, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-332 ) ; ♀ holotype of consepta Dognin (genitalia slide no. JSM-1531 ) ; ♀, Colombia, Cañon del Monte Tolima, 1700 m, leg. Fassl, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-328 ) .

Figures

Fig. 320. Morphology of Lyces (³³). A, head of L. angulosa, lateral view; B, head of L. patula, lateral view; C, head of L. patula, frontal view; D, head of L. patula, posterior view; E, L. ena labial palpus; F, L. striata labial palpus; G, L. attenuata labial palpus; H, L. ariaca head, lateral view; I, L. angulosa wings (illustration by J.S. Miller).