Ephialtias pseudena (Boisduval)

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 : 750

Ephialtias pseudena (Boisduval) Figures 311E , 318A–E ; plate 28

Retila pseudena Boisduval, 1870: 94 .

TYPE LOCALITY: ‘‘ Muzo’’?.

TYPE: Syntype ³ ( BMNH).

Josia cassa Prout, 1918: 421 . Revised synonymy.

TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, Muzo , Río Cantinero, 400 m.

TYPE: Holotype ³, leg. A.H. Fassl ( BMNH).

DISCUSSION: In his description of pseudena, Boisduval (1870: 94) listed Honduras and Mexico as localities. Subsequent authors thus mistakenly reported this species from Mexico south to Colombia (e.g., Hering, 1925). The locality label on Boisduval’s pseudena type is extremely difficult to read. After considerable study of the handwriting, I propose ‘‘Muzo’’ as the type locality. Support for this hypothesis comes from other museum material. No verified examples of the moth have been collected north of the Canal Zone in Panama, whereas many specimens are known from Muzo, near the headwaters of the Río Magdalena in central Colombia.

Ephialtias dorsispilota , previously treated as a synonym of pseudena ( Bryk, 1930) , is here raised to species status following the original author ( Warren, 1905). The two moths are readily separable (pl. 28) because the front and femora, as well as the venter of the abdomen, are white in E. pseudena , whereas these regions are dark brown to blackish brown in E. dorsispilota . Of the two species, E. pseudena is less common in collections.

Prout (1918: 421) described cassa as a subspecies of Josia consueta Walker , differing in having no white dorsal markings on the abdomen, in having the FW cross band straighter and narrower, and in lacking white scaling along the HW anal margin. Subsequent authors have followed this treatment ( Hering, 1925; Bryk, 1930). My study of the relevant types suggests that cassa is instead a junior synonym of pseudena . Prout stated that cassa is known from Panama and from Bogotá, Colombia. This matches the known distribution of E. pseudena , but not that of E. consueta (Pará, Brazil).

Based on genital similarities, E. pseudena is an extremely close relative of E. abrupta from the Amazon Basin. Synapomorphies are noted in the discussion of the latter (above).

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia(AMNH,BMNH, MNHN) ; Panama (AMNH, BMNH, NMW).

DISSECTED: ³, Colombia, Muzo , 400– 800 m, leg. Fassl, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-301 ) ; ³, Colombia, Cundinamarca, Nouvelle Grenade, Cananche , 1 Sept 1900, leg. M. de Mathan, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-294 ) ; ³, Colombia, Cundinamarca, Cananche , 1 Sep 1900, leg. M. de Mathan, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-859 ) ; ♀, Colombia, Muzo , 400–800 m, leg. Fassl, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-302 ) ; ♀, Colombia, Muzo, R. Cantinero , 400 m, leg. A.H. Fassl, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-860 ) .

Figures

Fig. 311. Morphology of Ephialtias (33). A, head of E. dorsispilota, lateral view; B, head of E. dorsispilota, frontal view; C, head of E. dorsispilota, posterior view; D, head of E. monilis, lateral view; E, E. pseudena labial palpus; F, E. abrupta labial palpus; G, head of E. draconis, lateral view; H, E. draconis wings (illustration by J.S. Miller, except G by S. Goodman).

Fig. 318. Genitalia of Ephialtias. A, 3 of E. pseudena (JSM-301); B, ♀ of E. pseudena (JSM-860); C, aedeagus of E. pseudena; D, E. pseudena 3 Tg8; E, E. pseudena 3 St8; F, 3 of E. tenuifascia (JSM-1541); G, ♀ of E. tenuifascia (JSM-1729); H, aedeagus of E. tenuifascia; I, E. tenuifascia 3 Tg8; J, E. tenuifascia 3 St8.