Synegiodes diffusifascia Swinhoe, 1892

Cui, Le, Jiang, Nan, Stüning, Dieter & Han, Hongxiang, 2018, A review of Synegiodes Swinhoe, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4387 (2), pp. 259-274 : 266

Synegiodes diffusifascia Swinhoe, 1892

Figs 8 , 20 , 30

Synegiodes diffusifascia Swinhoe, 1892 , Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 1892 (1): 11, pl. 1, fig. 9. Syntype (s) Ƌ, India: Khasi Hills ( BMNH).

Diagnosis. The species S. diffusifascia , S. expansus and S. obliquifascia resemble each other externally. General coloration and transverse lines and bands on wing surface are so similar that it is impossible to identify these three species only based on wing markings. However, S. diffusifascia and S. expansus can be separated by having one areole in the forewing venation, while there are two in S. obliquifascia . In the male genitalia, S. diffusifascia can be differentiated from the other two species by the ovally extended apex of the uncus and the rim-like process on the anellus. The female is unknown to us. More detailed comparisons with the other two species see under S. expansus .

Material examined. INDIA ( ZFMK): 1♂, paratype, ex coll . BMNH by exchange, "Khasis, Nat. Coll.", gen. prep. No. 2322-DS.

Distribution. India, Vietnam ( Tonkin: Prout (1938: 152), Malaysia (Pahang: Prout (1938: 152). Records from Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia may refer to S. expansus sp. nov. or the undescribed species from Borneo.

Remarks. Holloway (1997) recorded diffusifascia from Borneo, supplying also a photo of the male genitalia. The dissection of a topotypical paratype of S. diffusifascia revealed that particularly “socii” and uncus are different from the illustration provided by Holloway (1997: genitalia fig. 7). In the male genitalia of the paratype, the tip of the uncus is ovally enlarged, and the socii are inflated dorsally at base, while in fig. 7, the uncus is apically not enlarged and the socii are swollen ventrally at middle, the bases narrower. So the species found in Borneo very probably may be another, undescribed one (provided that the paratype we were able to study is conspecific with the holoype of diffusifascia ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Adults. 1–2. S. sanguinaria; 1. Ƌ, China, Yunnan, 2. Ƌ, India, Arunachal Pradesh (ZFMK); 3. S. punicearia (holotype, IZCAS), Ƌ, China, Sichuan; 4–5. S. histrionaria; 4. Ƌ, China, Tibet, 5. Ƌ, N. India, Khasi Hills (paratype, ZFMK); 6–7. S. ornata (ZFMK); 6. Ƌ, China, Taiwan (dark form), 7. Ƌ, China, Taiwan (light form); 8. S. diffusifascia, Ƌ, N. India, Khasi Hills (paratype, ZFMK); 9–10. S. expansus 9. Ƌ, China, Guangdong (holotype, IZCAS); 10. ♀, (paratype, ZFMK), S. China, Guangdong; 11. S. obliquifascia, Ƌ, China, Tibet; 12. S.hyriaria, Ƌ, China, Tibet; 13. S. elasmlatus(holotype, IZCAS), Ƌ, China, Yunnan; 14–15. “S”. brunnearia, 14. Ƌ, China, Yunnan, 15. Ƌ, China, Sichuan.Scale bar = 10mm.

FIGURES 16–23. Male genitalia. 16. S. sanguinaria, China, Yunnan; 17. S. punicearia (holotype, IZCAS), China, Sichuan; 18.S. histrionaria, China, Tibet; 19. S. ornata, China, Taiwan; 20. S.diffusifascia (paratype, ZFMK), N.India,Khasi Hills; 21. S. expansus (holotype, IZCAS), China, Guangdong; 22. S. obliquifascia, China, Tibet; 23. S. hyriaria, China, Tibet.Scale bars = 1 mm.