Syzeuxis pavonata Xue & Han

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 : 15

Syzeuxis pavonata Xue & Han sp. nov.

Figs 12 , 24 , 36

Type Material. Holotype: 3, CHINA: Yunnan: Pingbian, Daweishan, 1500 m, 20 June 1956, coll. Huang Ke-ren, slide no. Geom-00087 ( IZCAS).

Description. Antennae bipectinate in male, female unknown. Labial palpus rough-scaled, yellowish brown, tinged with white on upper surface, less extending than 1/2 its length beyond frons. Frons yellowish green. Vertex and dorsal side of thorax yellowish brown. Wing pattern. Forewing length: 3 10 mm. Vertex yellowish brown. Forewing with the apex acute, outer margin of forewing slightly protruding at middle. Forewing dirty pale yellow, diffused with dark brown. Antemedial and postmedial lines forming triangular patches on costa, the latter extending below as a dark yellowish brown fascia-like mark; a small dot on costa near apex; terminal line black, discontinuous. Hindwing dirty white, scattered with dark scales; postmedial line dark greyish brown, X-shaped, with one branch broader than the other. Hindwing in male without small basal lobe. Fringes pale brown on both wings, dark brown on forewing where terminal line present. Underside of both wings pale yellowish, scattered with dark brown streaks, which are almost absent on lower half of forewing; postmedial line dark brown, same as upperside on hindwing and more distinct than that of forewing upperside. Forewing without areole. Male genitalia. Uncus relatively short and broad, length and width similar. Gnathos with median process long, narrow, and tapered. Valva with basal half broad and distal half rapidly narrowing; costa concave and ventral margin of valva convex. Juxta a rounded plate, setose on posterior margin. Saccus small. Aedeagus extremely broad, with a row of tiny spines forming a partial ring subposteriorly; cornutus a large spinose patch. Female genitalia. Unknown.

Diagnosis. S. pavonata is very close to the Indian species S. nigrinotata on wing pattern, in both species the asymmetric X-shaped postmedial lines on the hindwing are very characteristic. These two species are very difficult to distinguish on wing pattern, though S. pavonata is a little larger and paler. Both species lack the areole on the forewing, and have R1 to R5 long stalked, arising before the upper angle of the cell, and R1 separating from first the stalk. But in S. pavonata R1 is free, while in S. nigrinotata R1 is shortly touching or connected to Sc after arising from the stalk. S. pavonata differs from S. nigrinotata in the male genitalia in that the uncus is much broader, and the aedeagus is of an entirely different shape.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin name for the peacock.

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 20 – 25. Male genitalia. 20. Syzeuxis subfasciaria (Wehrli); 21. S. heteromeces Prout; 22. S. furcalineas sp. nov.; 23. S. nigrinotata (Warren); 24. S. pavonata sp. nov.; 25. S. calamisteria Xue. 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.)