Lyces attenuata, 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 : 772-773

Lyces attenuata , new species Figures 320G , 323A–E ; plate 31

DIAGNOSIS: As mentioned above with reference to L. andosa , six Andean species form a tight subclade within the Patula Group: L. andosa , L. attenuata , L. gopala , L. longistria , L. patula , and L. striata (pls. 30, 31). The identities of these are so difficult that essentially every specimen must be carefully scrutinized. Even then, identifications are often open to question. Of the six, the taxon with which L. attenuata could most easily be confused is L. striata (pl. 31). Both exhibit particularly narrow FW stripes. They are distinguished because Lyces attenuata is generally larger. Furthermore, the HW of L. attenuata shows a deep indentation along the posterior margin of the yellow area, located at the fork of M 3 +CuA 1. In most specimens of L. striata , the posterior margin of the yellow area is irregular, but does not show a deep indentation at that point. Another means for separating the two species involves the labial palpi: In L. attenuata, Lp 3 is quite long (fig. 320G). On the other hand, Lp3 is short and acute at its apex in L. striata (fig. 320F).

The most reliable characters for separating L. attenuata and L. striata are found in their genitalia. In males of L. attenuata , the base of the valval costa is simple (fig. 323A), whereas in L. striata the costa bears a small flange at its base (fig. 323F). Females differ markedly in the shape of the sclerotized section at the base of the CB, which is irregular in shape and densely spinose in L. attenuata (fig. 323C), but is elongate, more regular in shape and less spinose in L. striata (fig. 323H).

DESCRIPTION: Male. FW length 5 20.5– 22.0 mm. Head (fig. 320G): Lp3 somewhat elongate, Lp2 roughly equal in size to Lp1; all features covered with steely brown scales.

Thorax: Covered with steely brown, hairlike scales shorter than those on the head.

Abdomen: Steely brown, with a thin, buff-colored longitudinal stripe along pleuron and a prominent, cream to buff-colored stripe on venter along midline.

Terminalia (fig. 323A, B, D, E): Tg8 shorter and narrower than St8, slightly tapered posteriorly, anterior margin with a wide, shallow mesal excavation, posterior margin with a large V-shaped mesal excavation; St8 large, wide, strongly tapered distally, anterior margin bearing broadly tapered mesal apodeme, posterior margin bearing a large, deep V-shaped mesal excavation; socii/ uncus complex robust; uncus beak shaped; socii strongly attenuated, curved; costa of valva wide, strongly concave, upper margin simple, apex forming a robust flange; BO extremely large, internal apodeme robust; membrane above transtillar plate bearing a wide, ovoid spiculate patch; aedeagus relatively wide; vesica curving gently upward; spinelike cornuti robust, distal club-shaped cornutus short, wide.

Female. FW length 5 21.0–22.5. Body characters similar to male, except: wings slightly longer; FW and HW stripes wider; indentation near apex of HW yellow area not as pronounced.

Terminalia (fig. 323C): PA relatively large, posterior margin rounded; DB irregular in shape, not elongate (compared to L. striata ; fig. 323H); DB narrow near ostium, wider at junction with CB, internal spines robust; CB large, laterally compressed; internal spines of signum short; DS arising from a strongly pigtail-shaped appendix on dorsum of CB.

DISTRIBUTION: Lyces attenuata , endemic to the Andean foothills of western Colombia (BMNH, NMW, USNM) , roughly co-occurs with L. andosa and L. striata . However, it seems to be more northern in distribution than L. striata , which is most commonly collected in northwestern Ecuador. Based on available museum material, Lyces attenuata has never been captured in Ecuador.

ETYMOLOGY: The name applied here, attenuata , was chosen by Warren when he described this taxon as an aberration of L. striata Druce. According to him ( Warren, 1901: 442), attenuata differs from striata in that the FW stripe ‘‘is narrow and of nearly uniform width throughout, and thinning out gradually almost to a point at extremity’’. While his wing-pattern characterization of L. attenuata does not seem particularly robust, since many examples of L. striata show equally narrow FW stripes (pl. 31), Warren’s name is honored here because it was he who first noticed the uniqueness of L. attenuata .

DISCUSSION: Warren named attenuata as an aberration of L. striata Druce , designating a lone female in the BMNH collection, lacking locality data, as the type. In recognizing Warren’s phenotype as a species distinct from L. striata and all other Lyces , that taxon is here described as new. The male specimen of L. attenuata designated here as the holotype matches the wing pattern and body size of Warren’s female with precision. The ZMH and BMNH collections contain L. attenuata in fairly long series (11³³, 2♀♀ at ZMH; 5³³, 8♀♀ at BMNH). In addition, there are five specimens at the USNM and three at the NMW. Except for the holotype, literally all the material of L. attenuata in museums was captured by Anton Fassl. Now that the identity of this species has been established, additional material will undoubtedly surface in collections around the world.

HOLOTYPE: Male (fig. 323A, B, D, E; pl. 31). COLOMBIA: Cauca: Torne , Jan 1907, leg. Paine & Brinkley (genitalia slide no. JSM-329 ). The type is deposited at the BMNH.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED: CO-

LOMBIA: Valle: 1♀, Río Aguacatal , 1800 m, Feb 1909, leg. Fassl ( USNM) ; 1³, 2♀♀, Río Aguacatal, 2000 m, leg. Fassl ( NMW). 1♀, Alto de las Cruces , 2500 m, Nov 1908, leg. Fassl ( USNM, genitalia slide no. JSM-330 ) ; 1♀, Alto de las Cruces , 2000 m, Oct 1908, leg. Fassl, Dognin Collection ( USNM) ; 1♀, San Antonio , 2000 m, Dec 1908, leg. Fassl, Dognin Collection (USNM). 1³, 2♀♀, ‘‘Colombie’’, leg. Fassl, Dognin Collection (USNM).

Lyces aurimutua (Walker) , new combination

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).

Fig. 323. Genitalia of Lyces. A, L. attenuata ³ (JSM-329); B, L. attenuata aedeagus; C, L. attenuata ♀ (JSM-330); D, ³ Tg8 of L. attenuata; E, ³ St8 of L. attenuata; F, L. striata ³ (JSM-1489); G, L. striata aedeagus; H, L. striata ♀ (JSM-1715); I, ³ Tg8 of L. striata; J, ³ St8 of L. striata.