Episothalma robustaria ( Guenée, 1858 ), Guenee, 1858

Xue, Dayong, Wang, Xuejian & Han, Hongxiang, 2009, A revision of Episothalma Swinhoe, 1893, with descriptions of two new species and one new genus (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 2033, pp. 12-25 : 15-16

Episothalma robustaria ( Guenée, 1858)

Figs. 1–5

Hemithea robustaria Guenée, 1858 , in Boisduval & Guenée, Hist. Nat. Insectes (Spec. gén. Lépid.) 9: 383. Holotype Ψ, India (central). (ZFMK) (examined)

Thalassodes sisunaga Walker, 1861 , List Specimens Lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 22: 550. Holotype Ψ [ɗ], Hindostan [ India]. (BMNH) (examined)

Thalassodes macruraria Walker, 1863 , List Specimens Lepid. Insects Colln. Br. Mus. 26: 1561. Syntypes 7ɗ, 1Ψ, [ Bangladesh]: Silhet [Sylhet]; North Hindostan [ India]; Canara [Kanara]. (BMNH) (examined)

Thalassodes fimbriaria Walker, 1869 , Charact. Undescr. Lepid. Heterocera: 97. Syntype (s) ɗ, [ India]: near Benares. (BMNH) (examined)

Thalassodes indeterminata Walker, 1869 , Charact. Undescr. Lepid. Heterocera: 98. Syntype (s) ɗ, [ India]: near Benares. (BMNH) (examined)

Chlorodontopera (Episthophthalma) robustaria: Hampson, 1895 , Fauna Br. India (Moths) 3: 484.

Redescription. Head: Antenna ciliate in male and filiform in female. Frons dark red-brown, smooth-scaled. Labial palpus dark brown, short, not extending beyond frons in male; third segment in female elongate, about one third extending beyond frons. Vertex with anterior half white, posterior half grass green. Thorax: Dorsum grass green. Hind tibia in male with one pair of terminal spurs, in female with two pairs of spurs, very close to each other. Length of forewing: ɗ 17–20 mm; Ψ 19–22 mm. Forewing with apex pointed; outer margin under apex concave and forming a small process on vein M3; outer margin of hind wing concave between M1 and M3, forming a process respectively on both veins. Wings ground colour grass green. Forewing with costa orange yellow, diffused with black scales; antemedial line wavy, indistinct, proximately with small white dots on veins. Postmedial lines on both wings yellowish green, dentate irregularly, posteriorly accompanied by small white dots on veins. Discal spot black. Terminal line dark brown. Fringes grayish green to brown. Ventral side pale green; discal spot distinct, black brown; postmedial line indistinct to distinct, dark grass green, sometimes much darker on veins. Abdomen: Dorsum reddish brown mixed with black brown, crested, much darker from second to fourth segment. Male genitalia ( Figs. 11–18 , 24–29 ). Uncus sclerotized, tapered, blunt at apex. Socii slightly sclerotized, tapered, broader and shorter than uncus. Gnathos with lateral arms slightly sclerotized and not joined in the middle. Valva long and narrow; terminal half various, narrower or broader than base, rounded, sometimes with a small process; costal margin expanded distinctly or weakly, or almost straight; irregularly wrinkled ridge with dense hair present at center; a pointed sclerotized hook-like tooth present near center, posterior to which is a small lobe. Transtilla a large weakly sclerotized plate, strongly projecting posteriorly, sometimes slightly bilobed at posterior margin. Juxta arced. Saccus not protruding, but vinculum protruding beyond base of valva. Coremata fairly developed. Aedeagus moderately slender, broadened and sclerotized posteriorly, vesica sclerotized and wrinkled, without cornutus; sometimes manica with one to three sclerotized processes. Female genitalia ( Fig. 23 ). Apophyses posteriores about 5 times length of apophyses anteriores. Ostium broad, sclerotized. Lamella postvaginalis nearly rounded; Lamella antevaginalis shallowly concave. Ductus bursae short, slightly sclerotized. Corpus bursae large, about 4 times length of ductus bursae, with a bicornute signum.

Materials examined. INDIA: holotype Ψ, Inde, Ex. Musaeo Ach. Guenée (other label: “Typicum Specimen”; “ Hemithea robustaria Guenée (Sp. t. no. 613)”) ( ZFMK); holotype of sisunaga , ɗ, Hindostan [ India] ( BMNH); syntype of fimbriaria (no other data), 1ɗ ( BMNH); syntype of indeterminata (no other data), 1ɗ ( BMNH); syntypes of macruraria (no other data), 1ɗ1Ψ ( BMNH); Khasis, VIII.1895, Nat. Coll., 1ɗ ( ZFMK); Khasis, Nat. Coll., Ex. Oberthür Coll., Brit. Mus. 1927-3 (with figure label), 1Ψ ( BMNH); Khasis, VI.1896, Nat. Coll., Ex. Oberthür Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3, 2ɗ ( BMNH); Khasis, Nat. Coll., Ex. Oberthür Coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3, 1ɗ1Ψ ( BMNH); Darjeeling, 79.57, 1ɗ1Ψ ( BMNH); Nilgiris, Hampson Coll. 89-129, 1Ψ ( BMNH); Karwar, IX.1895, 1 ɗ ( BMNH); Chandkhira Silhet, Rothschild Bequest, B.M.1939-1, 1ɗ ( BMNH); Sikkim, Interior, Möller, Colletio H.J. Elwes, Rothschild Bequest, B.M. 1939-1, 1Ψ ( BMNH); South India: Nilgiais W. Mallapuram, 700 m, 18.VIII. 1987, B. Turlin, 1ɗ ( ZSM); CHINA: Guizhou: Rongjiang; 1Ψ ( IZCAS); Hainan: Diaoluoshan, 7.V.1984, coll. Wang Chunling, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); Hainan: U.S. W, April-May, leg. Müller and Li, 5ɗ ( ZSM); Youboi, Hainan, VI.1904, Rothschild Bequest, B.M.1939-1, 1ɗ ( BMNH); Tonfu, Hainan, VII.1904, Rothschild Bequest, B.M.1939-1, 1Ψ ( BMNH); Yunnan: Xishuangbanna Bubeng, 700 m, 14.IX.1993, coll. Cheng Xinyue, 2ɗ ( IZCAS); ibidem, coll. Yang Longlong, 2ɗ ( IZCAS); ibidem, coll. Xu Huanli, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); ibidem, no collector, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Xishuangbanna Menglun, 580 m, 13.IX.1993, coll. Cheng Xinyue, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Dongwuliangshan, 1320 m, 15.V.1982, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Ruili Dengga, 980 m, 6–8.VI.1992, coll. Xue Dayong, 1Ψ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Cangyuan, 625 m, 9.VI.1980, 1Ψ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Jingdong Wuliangshan, 1320 m, 15.V.1982, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); Yunnan: Hekou Xiaonanxi, 11.VI.1956, 1ɗ ( IZCAS); NEPAL: Nepal, Buri Gandaki, Machha Khola, 880 m, 30.VI.1998, leg. M. Fibiger, 1ɗ ( IZCAS, ex. Fibiger Coll.); Nepal, Central, 15 km, S. Barpak, Baluuea, 850 m, 10.VII.1998, leg. M. Fibiger, 1ɗ ( IZCAS, ex. Fibiger Coll.); MYANMAR: Hsipaw, Burma, L.De Niceville, 97-192, III.1897 (length of forewing only 16 mm), 1Ψ ( BMNH); VIETNAM: Vietnam: Forêt de Cuc Phuong, 150 km SE de Hanoi, 21–22.X.1990, L. Schwartz, 1ɗ ( ZSM); THAILAND: Thailand N., 30 km N Mae Hong Son, Karen village, 1100 m, 16.VII.2003, leg. M. Fibiger, 1ɗ ( IZCAS, ex. Fibiger Coll.); MALAYSIA (Borneo): Site 23, April, W. Melinau Gorge, 250 m, 430558, FEG 4. Limestone forest, MV-canopy/understorey, Sarawak, Gunong Mulu Nat. Park, R.G.S. Exped. 1977-8, J.D. Holloway et al. B.M. 1978-206 ( Geometridae genitalia slide NO. 8467), 1ɗ ( BMNH).

Distribution. China (Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan), Vietnam, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsula and Borneo), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo).

Biology. Holloway (1996) redescribed the larva of E. robustaria based on the unpublished description of Bell: the larva has a square head, conical vertices, cylindrical body, and granular skin; the body is leaf green with a dark green dorsal line; on each segment, oblique dark lines diverge from the dorsal line anteriorly to the posterior margin at the level of the spiracle; a dark green suffusion is present in the angle between these lines and the dorsal line; the spiracles are sometimes surrounded by pink. Holloway also stated that the resting posture of the larva is stick-like, and that the markings resemble the leaflets of the host-plant, which belongs to Acacia (Leguminosae) . Pupation is within a silken cocoon spun among these leaflets.

Notes. There are some variations in the male genitalia as follows: (a) manica of aedeagus with process ( Figs. 24–25 ). Specimens from Dongwuliangshan, Yunnan, Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan ( Figs. 11 , 24 ), Vietnam ( Figs. 12 , 25 ) belong to this series; (b) manica of aedeagus without process, just wrinkled ( Figs. 26–29 ). Materials from Hainan, some from Yunnan, India, Nepal, N. Thailand and Sumatra fall into this series. Even in this series, some variations are present. The costal margin of the valva in the male genitalia of the specimen from Hekou Xiaonanxi, Yunnan ( Fig. 13 ) is almost straight, the apex of valva blunt and rounded, whereas, the costal margin of the other materials in this series is more or less expanded. The apex of valva of materials from South India ( Fig. 14 ), Nepal ( Fig. 15 ) and Hainan ( Fig. 16 ) is much broader, and not as round as in the first series. A small process is present on the apex of the materials from Thailand north ( Fig. 17 ) and Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan ( Fig. 18 ). Variations are also present in transtilla and juxta. For example, the transtilla of the specimen from Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan ( Fig. 11 ) is broader and shorter than that of a specimen from South India ( Fig. 14 ), which is very long and narrow; the juxta of the former is large and the posterior margin is fairly semicircular, whereas the juxta of the latter is oval and very small. Since variations occur in the male genitalia even among specimens from the same locality such as Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan ( Figs. 11 , 18 ), there is no justification for generating a range of similar species based on them.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 16. Male genitalia of E. robustaria. 11, From Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan, China; 12, From Vietnam; 13, From Hekou Xiaonanxi, Yunnan, China; 14, From South India; 15, From Nepal; 16, From Hainan, China. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 22. Male genitalia. 17 – 18. E. robustaria. 17, From Thailand; 18, From Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan, China; 19, E. irrobustaria sp. nov.; 20, E. cognataria; 21, E. cuspidata sp. nov.; 22, Pseudepisothalma ocellata. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 23 – 33. 23. Female genitalia of E. robustaria. 24 – 29. Aedeagus of E. robustaria. 24, From Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan, China; 25, From Vietnam; 26, From South India; 27, From Hainan, China. 28, From Thailand; 29, From Xishuangbanna Bubeng, Yunnan, China; 30, E. irrobustaria sp. nov.; 31, E. cognataria; 32, E. cuspidata sp. nov.; 33. Pseudepisothalma ocellata. Scale bar = 1 mm.