Scea steinbachi Prout, 1918

Miller, James S, 2009, Generic Revision Of The Dioptinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Notodontidae) Part 2: Josiini, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (321), pp. 675-1022 : 851

Scea steinbachi Prout , revised status Figure 352 ; plate 34

Scea steinbachi Prout, 1918: 425 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Argentina, Tucumán. TYPE: Syntype ³/ ♀ ( BMNH).

DISCUSSION: Prout described steinbachi as a subspecies of Scea servula , a taxon with which it shares few obvious features. Genitalia dissections demonstrate that the two are not conspecific, and steinbachi is here raised to species status. The taxon with which S. steinbachi could most easily be confused is S. auriflamma (pl. 34). These are sympatric, both occurring in Argentina. Scea servula , on the other hand, is known exclusively from Colombia.

Scea steinbachi and S. auriflamma are quite difficult to separate. The most useful distinguishing traits are the following: S. auriflamma is smaller (FW length 5 14.0– 17.0 mm in auriflamma ; FW length 5 17.0– 19.0 mm in steinbachi ); the FW apical third is uniformly dark gray in auriflamma , whereas in steinbachi the FW apical third is lighter gray and there is a thin, black highlight immediately beyond the orange area, preceding the gray section. Male and female genitalia of the two differ markedly (figs. 348, 352).

A USNM specimen, originally from the Schaus Collection, identified there as S. steinbachi and labeled simply ‘‘Peru’’, seems dubious. It probably represents an undescribed species.

DISTRIBUTION: Argentina (AMNH, BMNH, FML, USNM).

DISSECTED: ³, Argentina, Tucumán, leg. Steinbach, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-352 ) ; ♀, Argentina, Tucumán, 900–1300 m, Feb 1904, leg. J. Steinbach, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-353 ) .

Figures

Fig. 352. Genitalia of Scea steinbachi (³ JSM-352, ♀ JSM-353). A, ³ genitalia; B, ³ St8; C, aedeagus; D, ³ Tg8; E, ♀ genitalia.