Scea angustimargo Warren

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 : 844

Scea angustimargo Warren Figures 332A, 332B , 347 ; plate 33 [EX]

Scea angustimargo Warren, 1905: 315 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Paraguay, Estanzia Cooper.

TYPE: Holotype ³, leg. Th. Inslay ( BMNH).

DISCUSSION: Scea angustimargo can best be recognized by the large orange area of the FW, extending almost to the outer margin, and by the presence of a long stripe of orange along the HW anterior margin. This HW stripe, located between veins Sc and Rs, is larger and more prominent on the wing’s ventral surface (see pl. 33). The only other Scea species with such a HW stripe is S. torrida , sp. nov. (pl. 33), from southwestern Ecuador, the apparent sister taxon to S. angustimargo . In both species the vesica of the aedeagus is extremely long (figs. 347E, 353E), and is forked distally, with the ventral arm of the fork bearing thin cornuti as well as a single, more robust, cornutus at its apex. Means for separating these two are provided in the Scea species key, as well as in the diagnosis for S. torrida (below).

Unlike most Scea species, which are Andean endemics, S. angustimargo is found in southeastern South America. The species is represented in many of the world’s collections, but never by more than one or two specimens. Genitalia dissections comparing Bolivian moths (JSM-354, 355), with S. angustimargo collected in Paraguay near the type locality, suggest that material from Bolivia is not conspecific, but instead represents an undescribed species.

DISTRIBUTION: Paraguay (BMNH,USNM); Bolivia (BMNH, CMNH, FML, ZMH); Brazil (BMNH, CUIC); Peru (AMNH).

DISSECTED: ³, Paraguay, Depto. Concepción, Ao. Tatatiya-mi , 22 ° 39 9 S, 56 ° 01 9 W, 10– 17 Apr 1986, leg. M. Pogue & A. Solis, USNM (genitalia slide no. JSM-1716 ) ; ³, Bolivia, S. Julian, Chiquitos , May, 400 m, leg. J. Steinbach, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-354 ) ; ♀, Paraguay, Dognin Collection , USNM (genitalia slide no. JSM-1717 ) ; ♀, Bolivia, Cochabamba, Yunga del Espiritu Santo , 1888–89, leg. P. Germain, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-355 ) .

Figures

Fig. 332. Scanning electron micrographs of Scea angustimargo and Notascea obliquaria (³³). A, FW of S. angustimargo (dorsal surface), showing area at anterolateral corner of DC; B, S. angustimargo, showing elongate scales at base of radial sector; C, FW of N. obliquaria (dorsal surface), showing fovea beyond anterolateral corner of DC, between bases of radial sector and R1; D, short, rounded scales within FW fovea of N. obliquaria; E, single round scale from FW fovea of N. obliquaria; F, close-up of rounded scale in E.

Fig. 347. Genitalia of Scea angustimargo (³ JSM-354, ♀ JSM-355). A, ³ genitalia; B, ³ Tg8; C, ³ St8; D, ♀ genitalia; E, aedeagus (illustration by A. Trabka).