Castrica oweni Schaus, 1896

Cock, Matthew J. W. & Laguerre, Michel, 2021, Taxonomic changes in the Neotropical Arctiinae, Arctiini (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) relating to the fauna of Trinidad and Tobago, Zootaxa 5071 (2), pp. 253-270 : 254-257

Castrica oweni Schaus, 1896 stat. rev.

Figs. 1–3 . BIN: BOLD:AAA7016 (dx.doi.org/10.5883/BOLD:AAA7016)

Sphinx phalaenoides Drury, 1773 was described and a male illustrated from an undisclosed number of syntypes from the Bay of Honduras, i.e. Belize ( Drury 1773, pp. 50–51, pl. XXVIII.6, Vincent and Laguerre 2013, 2014). Travassos (1957) stated that the type is lost, and we are not aware of any type material. Travassos also stated that the type of C. oweni should be considered as the neotype of C. phalaenoides , but this is not acceptable as discussed below. Hampson (1901) transferred phalaenoides to the genus Castrica . Castrica phalaenoides ( Fig. 1A, B ) occurs throughout Central America and on the Pacific Coast of South America as far south as Ecuador.

Schaus (1896) described C. oweni from an unspecified number of specimens (but at least one male and one female) from Venezuela and Costa Rica. Druce (1881 –1900, Plate 74.13) illustrated what he referred to as the type, which is a female. Watson (1971) examined the USNM collection and found only one of Schaus’s specimens labelled as type, and therefore designated this specimen, a female from Aroa, Yaracuy State, Venezuela, as the lectotype ( Fig. 1D ), and illustrated it and the genitalia. Watson (1971) also stated that there are several examples from the type locality (i.e. Aroa) in the USNM which may be paralectotypes ( Fig. 1C ). Hampson (1901) treated C. oweni as a synonym of C. phalaenoides , and this has been followed by subsequent authors (e.g. Watson 1971, Watson and Goodger 1986, Vincent and Laguerre 2014).

Rothschild (1909) described and illustrated C. sordidior based on four males from Trinidad (Caparo) and Brazil (Fonte Boa, Amazonas) ( Fig. 1E ). In Rothschild (1910), he listed the types as three males from Trinidad and one from Fonte Boa. Travassos (1957) incorrectly states that Rothschild (1910) restricted the distribution to Fonte Boa. Travassos also made C. sordidior a synonym of C. phalaenoides , and this was followed by Watson and Goodger (1986). However, Vincent and Laguerre (2013) reinstated C. sordidior as a valid species, noting that the two species have distinct DNA barcodes in Central America ( C. phalaenoides, BOLD :AAA1439) and French Guiana ( C. sordidior, BOLD :AAA7016). At that time, the treatment of C. oweni as a synonym of C. phalaenoides was not considered.

Given that Rothschild (1909) described this species from two widely separated localities, a lectotype needs to be fixed, to avoid any possible ambiguity—there is at least one undescribed species of this group from southern Brazil (M. Laguerre unpublished). Rothschild (1909) listed the Trinidad type material first, and there are three syntypes from Trinidad and only one from the Amazon ( Rothschild 1910), so it would be appropriate to select one of the Trinidad specimens as lectotype. Furthermore, Rothschild (1909, Plate 7.5) illustrated a male syntype from Trinidad ( Fig. 1E ), which is currently labelled as ‘type’ in NHMUK ( Fig. 1F ). Accordingly, we designate this specimen the lectotype.

Further to the conclusions of Vincent and Laguerre (2013) based on DNA barcodes, there are slight differences in the male genitalia of C. phalaenoides and C. sordidior ( Fig. 2 ): the uncus in C. phalaenoides is longer and more dilated basally; the translucent sacculus on the valve is slightly shorter than the valve in C. phalaenoides , but about half the length of the valve in C. sordidior ; and the saccus is pointed anteriorly in C. phalaenoides and more rounded in C. sordidior ( Fig. 2 ).

In our consideration of these two species, it became apparent that as described by Rothschild (1909), the males are more easily distinguished than the females ( Figs. 1 , 3 ). Thus, Rothschild (1909) (implicitly) compared (male) C. sordidior with (male and female) C. phalaenoides : ‘ This species has the forewing much less truncate, more pointed, and the hindwing rounder, less angulated; the pectus is orange, not lemon-yellow; the thorax olive-green, not bright olive-yellow; abdomen black-brown, not yellow, last segment olive-yellow. The forewing has the olive-green areas much darker and the hyaline areas much reduced by increased olive-green markings; the inner marginal area yellowish green, not yellow. Hindwing olive-grey, not yellow.’ We believe it is likely that Rothschild (1909, 1910) only recognised the male of C. sordidior , and treated the female as C. phalaenoides .

We reconsidered the identity of C. oweni in light of these findings. We have seen no specimens of C. phalaenoides from east of the Andes in the continent of South America. The type locality of C. oweni is Aroa, northern Venezuela, and this species is therefore more likely to be the same as the species described from Trinidad ( sordidior ) than the species described from Belize ( phalaenoides ). In order to clarify the identity of C. oweni , we examined an image of the only putative paralectotype male from Schaus’ collection from the lectotype locality, Aroa, Venezuela in USNM (P. Goldstein, pers. comm. 2019) ( Fig. 1C ), and found it resembled C. sordidior rather than C. phalaenoides . Although we did not dissect this male, we did dissect a male from Rancho Grande, Parque National Henri Pittier, Aragua State, Venezuela, about 130 km to the east, and confirmed it to be C. sordidior . We therefore conclude that C. oweni stat. rev. is a valid species, distinct from C. phalaenoides , and C. sordidior Rothschild, 1909 is a syn. nov. of C. oweni Schaus, 1896 . Hence, the type species of Castrica is unambiguously C. oweni rather than a synonym of C. phalaenoides . Furthermore, it is now clear that Travassos’ (1957) suggestion above that the type of C. oweni could be taken as the neotype of C. phalaenoides is not acceptable. Since at this time only the one species of Castrica is recognised from Central America, including from the Belize type locality, its identity as C. phalaenoides is unambiguous and there is no urgent need to designate a neotype.

Material examined.

Castrica oweni : FRENCH GUIANA: ♂ Piste de Kaw, PK 32, 3.iii.2006 [ ML, dissected Gen. ML 2845 and sequenced Sample ID MILA 1053—BOLD Process ID ARCTB023-09]. 3♂ Piste Patagaï, PK 10, 2.iii. 2006, 40 m [ ML, one sequenced Sample ID MILA 1044—BOLD Process ID ARCTB012-09]. 2♂ Piste Bélizon, PK 27, 15.ii.1999 [ ML]. ♂ Piste Coralie, 26.ix. 2013, 40 m [ ML]. ♂ Saül, environs du village, 9.x. 2015, 170 m. 1 ♀ Route de Kaw, PK 28, 28.ix. 2013, 286 m [ ML]. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, TRINIDAD: Arima Valley, Simla, MVL: ♂ 28.ii.1981 (M.J.W. Cock) [ MJWC]. Caparo: ♂ xi.1905 (S.M. Klages) (lectotype here designated) [ NHMUK]. Cumaca Road, 4.6 miles, MVL: ♂, 3♀ 21.x.1982 (M.J.W. Cock) [ MJWC; 2♀ UWIZM CABI.1156, CABI.1157]. Curepe, MVL: ♂ xii.1968 (R.E. Crutwell) [ UWIZM CABI.1154]; 2♂ i.1972 (R.E. Crutwell) [ UWIZM CABI.1155, CABI.1159]; ♂ 14.ix.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [ UWIZM CABI.1158]; ♂ 4.x.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [ NHMUK]; 17.xii.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [ NHMUK]; ♀ 1–7.vi.1982 (M.J.W. Cock) [ MJWC]. Morne Bleu, Textel Installation, at light: ♀ 3.viii.1978 (M.J.W. Cock) [ MJWC]. St. Augustine, MVL: ♂ xii.1975 (D.J. Stradling) [ UWIZM.2014.9.95]. Trinidad, [no locality]: ♀ [ NMS]. VENEZUELA: Est. Aragua, Rancho Grande, 1100m, M.V. light, 2–3.v.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [ MJWC, dissection 1102].

Castrica phalaenoides : ECUADOR: ♂ Esmeraldas, Rte Lita - San Lorenzo, PK 12, 1.viii. 1997, 850 m [ ML]. ♂ Cañar, El Triumfo, 500 m [ ML]. GUATEMALA: ♂, ♀ Izabal, Finca Firmeza, 16.v. 2007, 940 m [ ML, ♂ dissected, Gen. ML 2844 and the two were sequenced: Sample ID MILA 1051—BOLD Process ID ARCTB021-09 & Sample ID MILA 1042—BOLD Process ID ARCTB014-09].

Figures

FIGURE 1. Castrica spp. A, C. phalaenoides male, Belize [collection of B. Vincent]; B, C. phalaenoides female, Guatemala [ML]; C, C. oweni, assumed paralectotype male, Aroa, Venezuela [USNM]; D, C. oweni, lectotype female, Aroa, Venezuela [USNM]; E, C. sordidior male, Trinidad, as illustrated by Rothschild (1909) (edited from Biodiversity Heritage Library); F, the same specimen as #E, labelled as type in situ in NHMUK, and here designated as lectotype. F © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, made available under Creative Commons License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Not to scale, but approximately x1.5.

FIGURE 2. Male genitalia of Castrica phalaenoides (above, Belize, ML3516) and C. oweni (= C. sordidior) (below, French Guiana, ML2845). A, ventral view; B, dorsal view; C, lateral view; D, right valve, internal view; E, aedeagus lateral view.

FIGURE 3. Castrica oweni from Trinidad. A, B male, Curepe, MVL, 4.x.1979 [MJWC], dorsal and ventral view. C, D female, Morne Bleu Textel Installation, at light, 3.viii.1978 [MJWC], dorsal and ventral view.