Syzeuxis tessellifimbria Prout, 1926

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 : 5-8

Syzeuxis tessellifimbria Prout, 1926

Figs 3 , 15 , 27 , 38

Syzeuxis ? tessellifimbria Prout, 1926a , Novit. zool., 33: 12. Holotype Ƥ, India: Sikkim: Tonglo, 10,000 ft (3000 m). (BMNH) Syzeuxis tessellifimbria: Inoue, 1982 , Bull. Fac. domestic Sci., Otsuma Woman’s Univ., 18: 141, fig. 14h; Xue, 1999, in Xue & Zhu, Fauna Sinica: Insecta, 15: 191, figs 191–195, pl.IV: 1; Xue, 2000, Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, 25 (1): 82, figs 1, 2b, c.

Materials Examined. INDIA: 1Ƥ, Holotype, Sikkim: Tonglo, 10,000 feet, July 1886, H.J. Elwes, Collectio H.J. Elwes, Rothschild Bequest B.M.1939-1 ( BMNH); CHINA: 13, Yunnan: Lushui, Pianma, 2300 m, 30 May 1981, coll. Liao Subai, slide no. L-1049 ( IZCAS); 3Ƥ, Tibet: Mêdog, 2750 m, 21–23 August 1982, coll. Han Yinheng, slide no. for one female: L-1050 ( IZCAS); 13, Tibet, no date, coll. Wang Baohai, slide no. L-1048 ( IZCAS); 13, Tibet: Chumbi, D. Macdonald, B.M. 1923-137 ( BMNH).

Description. Antennae bipectinate almost to tip in male, ciliate in female. Labial palpus brown, rough-scaled, extending about 1/3 to 1/2 beyond frons in both male and female. Frons and vertex green. Thorax with dorsal side green. Abdomen with dorsal side brown. Wing pattern. Forewing length: 3 18–19 mm; Ƥ 21 mm. Wings grass green. Outer margin of forewing smooth and slightly wavy in hindwing. Forewing with a small dark brown patch on costa near base; antemedial and postmedial lines curving outwards at middle, brown, distinct and forming dark brown triangular patches on costa, indistinct and sometimes broken over rest of wing; submarginal line indistinct, only small patches visible on costa, between vein M1 and M2, between CuA2 and anal vein; discal spot invisible. Hindwing yellowish brown, diffused with dark brown scales, much denser near outer margin; postmedial line broad, dark grey and curved outward, parallel to outer margin; discal spot a small dark brown patch. Fringes of forewing grass green mixed with dark brown basally, white terminally, and dark brown at vein ends; dark brown and whitish on hindwing. Underside: evenly yellowish brown diffused with dark scales; forewing base dark brown; both wings with distinct dark brown postmedial lines parallel to outer margins, and black discal spots. Forewing with areole double. Hindwing with discocellulars biangulate. Hindwing in male with a small basal lobe. Male genitalia. Uncus large and broad, concave slightly at apical margin. Gnathos developed, sclerotized, with large median process, broad basally and tapered but blunt distally. Valva small, blunt terminally; costa bearing a small subapical blunt process. Juxta developed, a sclerotized plate, with a concavity at centre of posterior margin and expanded laterally at middle, much narrower basally. Aedeagus broad, tube-like, slightly narrower and sclerotized posteriorly, with a cluster of sparse subposterior spines. Female genitalia. Apophyses posteriores very long, apophyses anteriores quite short and tapered. Ostium large, sterigma absent. Ductus bursae very long and narrow, gradually broader towards anterior end; with distinct, short and broad antrum. Corpus bursae small, membranous, expanded posteriorly. Signum absent.

Diagnosis. S. tessellifimbria is much larger than the congeneric species. The forewing is green, with areole double. The hindwing of the male has a small basal lobe, which is similar to S. extritonaria , S. neotritonaria and S. calamisteria . But S. tessellifimbria differs from those three species in different wing and valva shapes.

Distribution. China (Yunnan, Tibet), Nepal (East), India (Sikkim).

Remarks. The type material of this species was treated as ‘ Syntype (s) Ƥ’ ( Parsons et al. 1999). But the single type specimen was clearly cited in the original description, and should be regarded as a holotype.

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.)

FIGURES 38 – 42. Female genitalia. 38. Syzeuxis tessellifimbria Prout; 39. S. magnidica Prout; 40. S. heteromeces Prout; 41. S. nigrinotata (Warren); 42. S. calamisteria Xue. Scale bar = 1 mm.