Syllepte Hübner, 1819, 1823

Solis, M. Alma, Mally, Richard, Hayden, James E. & Nuss, Matthias, 2023, Revision of the type species of Syllepte Hübner and other spilomeline genera recently synonymized (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Zootaxa 5389 (3), pp. 343-361 : 346-348

Syllepte Hübner, 1819 –1821

Syllepte Hübner, 1819 –1821. Type species: S. incomptalis Hübner, 1819 –1821: pl. 50 figs. 285–286; 1823: 18 (dated after Hemming 1937). Synonym: Neomabra Dognin, 1905 , rev. stat.

Included species:

Syllepte incomptalis Hübner, 1819 –1821, type locality presumed to be Suriname, Neotype designated, Costa Rica

Syllepte nitidalis ( Dognin, 1905) ( Neomabra ), type locality Ecuador: Loja, Zamora valley, rev. comb., Lectotype designated

Syllepte serratilinealis (Lederer, 1863) ( Botys ), type locality Venezuela, rev. stat. [type specimen not found, from figure of adult]

Syllepte leucinalis Hampson, 1912 ( Sylepta [sic]), type locality Peru: Pozuzo, rev. stat. [see note in Remarks below]

Diagnosis: In the forewing the reniform spot is constricted medially and often appears as a dark brown x-shaped mark in older specimens or a figure 8 in recently collected specimens, and the postmedial line is a dark brown scalloped line ( Figs. 1, 2 , 10 ). Males have a unique, lengthwise sclerotized structure with modified scales on 7 th tergite, which features a transverse comb-like central arch ending in two lateral thumb-like structures, medially with broad semi-circular scales ( Fig. 5 ).

Description: Head: Labial palpus upturned, 2 nd segment 5 times as long as 3 rd segment; maxillary palpus short, as long as 3 rd labial palpus segment; ocellus with a dark, sclerotized band basally, clear apically; chaetosemata absent; male antenna with scales dorsally, without scales ventrally and with hairlike cilia, each hair slightly half as long as antennal segment, female similar but with very short cilia. Thorax: Average forewing length= 12.13 mm (n=15), range= 10–15 mm. Wing venation: Forewing Sc to 2/3 length of costa. R from distal third of discal cell; Rs 1, Rs 2+3, and Rs 4 close together from anterior angle of cell, Rs 4 running parallel for a short distance, then diverging toward outer margin. M 1 from anterior angle of discal cell to outer margin; base of M 2 and M 3 close to CuA 1. CuA 2 from apical fifth of Cubitus. CuP absent. 1A+2A well marked from wing base to outer margin; 3A an extremely faint loop one half the length of 1A+2A. Hindwing Sc+R 1 and Rs stalked for about half length of Media beyond discal cell to outer margin. Origin of M 1 from Rs; origin of M 2 and M 3 close to CuA 1. CuA 2 from 2/3 rd of Cubitus. Three Anal veins well marked. Forewing basal color white to pale yellow to light brown. Forewing pattern ( Fig. 2 ): Basal line absent or as a spot near costa and posterior margin, antemedial line thin, light brown, complete or entire width of wing; orbicular spot round with a faint, brown outline, claviform spot in anal area faint, light brown if present; median line absent, sometimes present as a dark shade or spot after CuA 2, reniform spot from Sc to distal edge of discal area, constricted medially and often appearing as a dark, brown x-shaped mark; postmedial line dark brown appearing as a scalloped line, straight from costa and then inward at after M 3 to posterior margin, less visible beyond CuA 1; subterminal line absent, dark brown shading entire width or most commonly from costa to M 3 only; terminal line dark brown; fringe variable. Retinaculum scales anterior to CuP. Hindwing pattern ( Fig. 2 ): Postmedial line dark brown as double scalloped lines, curving to posterior margin, basally with variable dark brown shading, sometimes apically, from the costa to Rs 4 with dark shading, subterminal line absent, terminal line dark brown, fringe variable. Frenulum: Female with 2 spines, male with 1 spine. Legs: Foreleg with tibial epiphysis, midleg with one pair of subequal tibial spurs, hind leg with two pairs of tibial spurs, distal spurs equal to length midleg spurs, one species with hindleg modified setae (hair pencil) as long as the tibia. Tympanal organ ( Fig. 8 ): Pons tympani prominent, post tympanal area with lightly sclerotized outer margin, tergo-sternal sclerite sclerotized, processus tympani small or not visible, 2 nd tergite segment with a prominent, lengthwise membranous fold, same width throughout with triangular, lateral pouches, praecinctorium bilobed, membranous. Males with a unique sclerotized structure of modified scales on 7 th tergite ( Figs. 5 , 14 ) lengthwise; comb-like with two lateral thumb-like structures, medially with broad semi-circular scales. Sixth segment often with light sclerotization and prominent scale sockets. Second sternite with lengthwise membranous fold, medially triangular, 7 th and 8 th sternites ( Figs. 5 , 14 ) with sclerotized patterns. Male genitalia ( Figs. 4, 6 , 12–13 ): Uncus shape variable, v-shaped or pencil-like from tegumen, longer than valvae, two to three times as long as tegumen, uncus apex variable in shape, pointed or rounded with or without medial cleft distally, ventrally with long, non-deciduous setae; subscaphium membranous, or lightly or highly sclerotized, basally with or without microspines; valvae same width lengthwise or broader distally, approaching square shape in some species, fibula finger-like from dorsal valva base near costa base directed towards distal valva margin, slightly protruding, or flat with setae, saccular medial lobe variable in shape from small, round to elongate and flat, sacculus with dorsobasal process with setae, variable in shape, present or absent; transtilla medially flat with a suture, or medially broad, two sclerotized arms as wide as costa of valva, setae present on ventral edge of transtilla arms; juxta slightly sclerotized, plate-like, depth of medial gap/split of juxta <10% of dorsoventral length of juxta; saccus v-shaped or rounded and shorter than wide, keel present dorsoanteriorly; coremata lateral to vinculum, round, about 0.1 mm in diameter, bearing long, simple hair-like setae; phallus with one or several long cornuti, the longest a little less than half the length of the phallus, and without or without microspines posteriorly, ductus ejaculatorius close to anterior end. Female genitalia ( Fig. 9 ): Anterior apophyses twice as long as posterior apophyses; antrum distally membranous or lightly sclerotized; ductus seminalis at anterior end of 7 th segment; ductus bursae twice as long or longer than corpus bursae; corpus bursae round, with very light scobination; signum single, round, not elevated, without transverse axis.

Species examined: Syllepte nitidalis ( Dognin, 1905) [type specimens examined], Syllepte serratilinealis (Lederer, 1863) [type painting], Syllepte leucinalis Hampson, 1912 [type examined externally]. Specimens of undescribed species were examined from Mexico south to Bolivia.

Remarks: This genus represents several undescribed species throughout the Western Hemisphere that are difficult to separate externally. Although there are long series of specimens for Costa Rican species, material from other areas in the Western Hemisphere, particularly Mexico and South America, is scarce. This genus needs revision, and more material needs to be located and subjected to comparative analysis.

Syllepte serratilinealis (described from Venezuela), S. nitidalis , and S. leucinalis were not included in Amsel’s (1956 ‒7) work about Venezuelan microlepidoptera. Munroe (1995) synonymized S. leucinalis described from Peru with S. serratilinealis and newly combined it under Pantographa . Becker (2023) resurrected Neomabra Dognin, 1905 (type species: S. nitidalis ) as a valid genus, re-combined S. nitidalis , newly combined S. serratilinealis with this genus, and newly synonymized S. leucinalis with the latter species. In this paper we remove S. leucinalis from synonymy based on reasons in the previous paragraph and the type specimen needs to be dissected and studied in greater detail.

The type material of S. nitidalis (Dognin) , rev. comb., is a series of males from Loja and the valley of Zamora from Ecuador all with a small white label with a typewritten “Dognin Collection”, and with handwritten labels “ Neomabra nitdalis, type ♂ Dgn”. We designate one specimen ( Figs. 10–14 ) [USNMENT01433441] to stabilize the name of this species with the following additional labels ( Fig. 11 ) “Environs de Loja / Equateur/1892”, “( Neomabra )/ (nitidalis)/nov. gen./nov. sp./ ♂ / Warren -04”, “TypeNo./29669/ U.S. N.M (red label)”, undissected, as the lectotype, lectotype designation, and the other three specimens are paralectotypes from Loja, 1889 [USNMENT01769438, USNM slide #116219], Loja, 1893 [USNMENT01552814], and Zamora (no year) [USNMENT01769251, USNM slide #111085]. Additionally , there is another specimen [USNMENT01899001] from Loja that is not part of the Dognin type series. Although it has a similar locality label “Environs de Loja / Equateur/1889” and a handwritten label by Dognin “ Neomabra /nitidalis/Dgn”, it lacks the word “type” or male symbol, and there is a separate typewritten label that reveals this specimen was part of the “Schaus/Collection” and probably a gift to William Schaus from Paul Dognin.

Placement of Syllepte in Agroterini

We place Syllepte in Agroterini ( Mally et al. 2019) based on morphological characteristics discussed below; this placement agrees with Munroe (1995). Additionally, Syllepte is the type species of Syleptinae [sic] Swinhoe, 1900, and we therefore establish Syleptinae as a subjective synonym of Agroterini Acloque, 1897 , syn. rev.

Externally,the forewing maculation resembles that of some species of Hileithia Snellen, 1875 and Herpetogramma Lederer, 1863 both placed in Herpetogrammatini , but the four relatively straight hindwing lines in Hübner’s (1819– 1823) illustration of S. incomptalis are very unusual in Spilomelinae ; we therefore interpret them as artistic liberty. The morphology of the genitalia in particular shares several synapomorphies with Haritalodes (also a member of the Agroterini ) as reconstructed in Mally et al. (2019, Fig. 2 ). The uncus is relatively membranous and non-capitate. The uncus setae are unsplit, thin, and distributed laterally on the uncus as well as dorsally. In Agroterini , the valva is roughly rectangular and the costa is often straight. The base of the costa and the inner valva in general are setose. A small, setiferous protrusion is present on the face of the valva between the fibula and the dorsal edge of the sacculus. The saccus of Syllepte is as wide as long, which fits in the range of variation of Agroterini ; among Spilomelinae , such a broad saccus is found elsewhere. In the female genitalia, S. incomptalis has one round signum. The agroterine signum is variable, including many species with two round signa, but where it is single, it is round or slightly elongate, and never with a transverse ridge, which occurs in Herpetogrammatini and Hydririni . The antrum of S. incomptalis is broad, with a wide, poorly defined colliculum that does not have a longitudinal membranous strip, although such a colliculum occurs in many Agroterini . The ovoid corpus bursae is well-demarcated from the narrow ductus bursae. The papillae anales are directed ventrad at a 90-degree angle from the axis of the body, a conformation found in Agroterini and some Margaroniini . Finally, among Spilomelinae , larval feeding on Malvaceae (including Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae ) is common only in Agroterini ( Janzen & Hallwachs 2009; Robinson et al. 2023).

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Syllepte incomptalis Hübner. 1, Original painting. 2, Neotype adult male, Costa Rica, Alajuela, Area de Conservación Guanacaste [USNMENT01899038]. 3, Neotype labels. 4, Male genitalia, Costa Rica,Alajuela,Area Conservación Guanacaste, USNM slide #116312 [USNMENT01894132]. 5, Sclerotized structure with modified scales on male 7th tergite, USNM slide #116223 [USNMENT01769416]. 6, Phallus, USNM slide #116312 [USNMENT01894132]. 7, Male 8th segment, USNM slide #116312 [USNMENT01894132]. 8, Tympanal organ, USNM slide #116312 [USNMENT01894132]. 9, Female genitalia, Costa Rica, Alajuela, Area Conservación Guanacaste, USNM slide #116314 [USNMENT01894003].

FIGURES 10–18. 10, Syllepte nitidalis (Dognin), lectotype adult male, Ecuador, Environs de Loja [USNMENT01433441]. 11, S. nitidalis,lectotypelabels.12,S.nitidalis,malegenitalia,paralectotype,Ecuador,Zamora,USNMslide#111085[USNMENT01769261]. 13, S. nitidalis, phallus, paralectotype, Ecuador, Zamora, USNM slide #111085 [USNMENT01769261]. 14, S. nitidalis, male modified structure and final segment, paralectotype, Ecuador, Environs de Loja, USNM slide #116219 [USNMENT01769438]. 15, Pantographa scripturalis (Guenée), lectotype adult female, Brazil [NHMUK01396720]. 16, P. scripturalis, lectotype labels. 17, P. scripturalis, male genitalia, Brazil, Parana, Castro, USNM slide #107232 [USNMENT01895419]. 18, P. scripturalis, female genitalia, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, USNM slide #105696 [USNMENT01899000].