Heliomata, GROTE AND ROBINSON

Scoble, Malcolm J. & Krüger, Martin, 2002, A review of the genera of Macariini with a revised classification of the tribe (Geometridae: Ennominae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (3), pp. 257-315 : 272

HELIOMATA GROTE AND ROBINSON

(Figs 5–83)

Heliomata Grote & Robinson, 1866 . Type species: Baptria infulata Grote, 1863 . USA.

Pepasmenoptera Gumppenberg, 1887 . Type species: Geometra glarearia [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775. Austria. [Listed as junior synonym of Heliomata by Parsons et al. (1999).]

Selected reference. McGuffin (1972: 9, figs 1, 50–193) provided a description of the adult and immature stages of the North American species cycladata Grote & Robinson.

Description

Head. Chaetosemata widely separated, not extended. Antenna not bipectinate.

Wings (Figs 5, 6). In American species distinctive, black and white (e.g. Fig. 5). In Heliomata glarearia ([Denis & Schiffermüller]) comb. nov., from Europe, pattern differs markedly (Fig. 6).

Male genitalia ( Figs 80, 81 ). Uncus: triangular, pointed; horns absent. Gnathos with central element well developed. Valva: deeply excavated; sacculus narrow, curved, pointed. Juxta in form of a broad plate with distinctive creases forming a cross.

Pregenital abdomen of male. Sternum A3 with distinctive pecten from sternal window. Sternum A8 ( Fig. 82 ) not emarginated.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 83 ). Ductus bursae and corpus bursae long, not greatly expanded anteriorly; corpus with single signum.

Diagnosis. The shape of the sacculus and juxta are distinctive. The moths can be recognized by the wing patterns in both Nearctic and Palaearctic species (Figs 5, 6).

Distribution. North America (two named species); Europe (one species).

Comments. The divided valva is the only character associating Heliomata with the Macariini : the genus lacks extended chaetosemata, and sternum A 8 in the male is unmodified. Although a divided valva also occurs outside the Macariini , Heliomata is included in the tribe, at least provisionally. The genus lacks the defining characters of Cassymini and Eutoeini , tribes probably related to Macariini . McGuffin (1972) placed Heliomata and Protitame in the tribe Abraxini . The slender dorsal process of the valva in Protitame suggests that this genus belongs to the Cassymini (see Holloway, [1994]: 117), but this character is not exhibited by Heliomata .

The moths are diurnal. In North America, the foodplant for Heliomata infulata (Grote) was recorded as black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and honey locust ( Gleditsia triacanthos L.) by Covell (1984). The same species of foodplants were given for cycladata Grote and Robinson by Prentice (in McGuffin, 1972).

The Palaearctic species, H. glarearia , occurs in central and southern Europe and extends into Asia Minor. The wing pattern differs from that of the North American species (compare Figs 5 and 6), but the form of the male genitalia leaves no doubt as to its affinity. The hostplant of glarearia was cited as ‘ Trifolium lupulinus ’ by Prout (1915), which actually refers to Medicago lupulina .

Number of species. Two named species occur in North America (Covell, 1984), not four as given in Hodges et al. (1983); one species occurs in Europe.

Figures

Figures 80–83. Heliomata species: 80, H. cycladata, ♂ genitalia; 81, H. glarearia, ♂ genitalia; 82, H. glarearia, sternum A8 of ♂; 83, H. glarearia, ♀ genitalia.