Syzeuxis trinotaria ( Moore, 1868 )

Li, Jing, Xue, Dayong, Han, Hongxiang & Galsworthy, Anthony C., 2012, Taxonomic review of Syzeuxis Hampson, 1895, with a discussion of biogeographical aspects (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentiinae), Zootaxa 3357, pp. 1-24 : 5

Syzeuxis trinotaria ( Moore, 1868)

Figs 2 , 14 , 26

Osicerda trinotaria Moore, 1868, Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1867 (3): 650. Syntype 3, India: Bengal. (BMNH). Syzeuxis trinotaria: Hampson, 1895 , Fauna Br. India (Moths), 3: 339, fig. 168; Inoue, 1982, Bull. Fac. domestic Sci., Otsuma Woman’s Univ., 18: 140, fig. 14c; Yazaki, 1994, in Haruta (Ed.), Tinea , 14 (Suppl. 1): 12, pl.67: 24; Xue, 2000, Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 25 (1): 84, figs 2a, 5d, e.

Materials Examined. INDIA: 13, syntype, N. E. Bengal: Sherwill, Russell, Moore Coll. 94-106 ( BMNH); 13, Sikkim, Collectio H.J. Elwes; 1Ƥ, Khasis, June, 1894, nat. coll., Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-1 ( BMNH). NEPAL: 131Ƥ, Kosi: Pheksinda, 780 m, 14–18 June 1990, coll. T. Haruta, slide no. Geom-00049 and Geom- 0 0 0 48 ( IZCAS, ex. Dr. K. Yazaki, Japan); 13, Center. N. Ganesh Himal, Mailung Khola, 1050 m, 24 October 1995, leg. M. Fibiger ( IZCAS, ex. Dr. M. Fibiger, Denmark).

Description Antennae in male bipectinate, ciliate at tip and in female. Labial palpus yellowish green, roughscaled, extending about 1/3 beyond frons in both male and female. Frons, vertex, dorsal side of thorax yellowish green. Abdomen with dorsal side pale yellow-brown. Wing pattern. Forewing length: 3 13 mm, Ƥ 14 mm. Forewing moderate in width; apex slightly acute, outer margin slightly angled at middle. Forewing pale greenish yellow, diffused with sparse black-brown speckles; a series of tiny dark streaks dispersed along costa; wing base with a small black patch on costa; grey antemedial and postmedial lines each forming a black triangular patch on costa; terminal line black, distinct, discontinuous under apex and between M3 and CuA1. Hindwing with grey arc-like postmedial line, paler towards costa; a small grey discal spot present in male, which is indistinct in female; terminal line thinner and paler than that on forewing. Male without hindwing basal lobe. Fringes of forewing black intermixed with yellowish brown (black where terminal line present, and yellowish brown where terminal line absent); yellowish brown on hindwing but grayish near anal angle. Underside: yellowish brown, diffused with dark grey speckles; both wings with dark grey discal spot; postmedial line black-brown, on forewing fading away towards inner margin, complete on hindwing. Forewing with a single areole. Male genitalia. Uncus large, broad, concave slightly at apical edge. Socii undeveloped. Gnathos developed, sclerotized, with large median process broad basally and tapered but blunt distally. Valva broad and short, blunt terminally, more expanded basally; costa concave, and ventral margin of valva convex, without any process. Juxta developed, forming a sclerotized oblong plate, slightly concave at posterior margin. Aedeagus broad, tube-like, without subposterior spines. Female genitalia. Not dissected (only female available for dissection had main part of genitalia missing).

Diagnosis. This species and another four species ( S. tessellifimbria , S. extritonaria , S. neotritonaria and S. calamisteria ) are different from the other congeneric species in that the forewing colour is green. The fresh specimen of S. trinotaria is quite similar to S. tessellifimbria . But S. trinotaria is much smaller; the forewing has only a single areole and hindwing discocellulars is not biangulate. It can also be distinguished form S. tessellifimbria by the differently shaped valva in the male genitalia. This species differs from S. extritonaria and S. neotritonaria in the black triangular patch on the forewing costa and the stalked M3 and CuA1 on the hindwing.

Distribution. India (Bengal, Sikkim), Nepal (East, Centre).

Remarks. The original description ‘Bengal (Sherwill). In Coll. F. Moore.’ does not indicate the number of specimens, and the undoubted type specimen in the BMNH collection must therefore be regarded as a syntype. However, it is probable that it was a unique type, and the designation of a lectotype is therefore unnecessary.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 13. Adults. 2. Syzeuxis trinotaria (Moore), female; 3. S. tessellifimbria Prout, holotype, female; 4. S. seminanis Prout, holotype, male; 5. S. extritonaria Xue, holotype, male; 6. S. neotritonaria Xue, holotype, male; 7. S. magnidica Prout, lectotype, male; 8. S. subfasciaria (Wehrli), paralectotype, male; 9. S. heteromeces Prout, holotype, male; 10. S. furcalineas sp. nov., holotype, male; 11. S. nigrinotata (Warren), lectotype, male; 12. S. pavonata sp. nov., holotype, male; 13. S. calamisteria Xue, holotype, female. Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURES 14 – 19. Male genitalia. 14. Syzeuxis trinotaria (Moore); 15. S. tessellifimbria Prout; 16. S. seminanis Prout; 17. S. extritonaria Xue; 18. S. neotritonaria Xue; 19. S. magnidica Prout. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 26 – 37. Aedeagus. 26. Syzeuxis trinotaria (Moore); 27. S. tessellifimbria Prout; 28. S. seminanis Prout; 29. S. extritonaria Xue; 30. S. neotritonaria Xue; 31. S. magnidica Prout; 32. S. subfasciaria (Wehrli); 33. S. heteromeces Prout; 34. S. furcalineas sp. nov.; 35. S. nigrinotata (Warren); 36. S. pavonata sp. nov.; 37. S. calamisteria Xue. Scale bar = 1 mm (except scale bar = 0.5 mm for fig. 35.)