Bardaxima lucilinea Walker, 1858

Becker, Vitor Osmar, 2021, A review of the Neotropical moth genus Bardaxima (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae: Nystaleinae), with special reference to the species occurring in Brazil, Zoologia (e 63526) 38, pp. 1-14 : 2-3

Bardaxima lucilinea Walker, 1858

Figs 1–3, 39–41

Bardaxima lucilinea Walker, 1858: 1349 . Holotype male, BRAZIL: [RJ], ‘ Brazil’ , no further data (NHMUK) [examined].

Diagnosis. Brown. Male ( Figs 1, 3) FW length 25–28 mm (56–64 mm wingspan); female ( Fig. 2) FW length 30–35 mm (66–78 mm wingspan). FW with costal half pale brown; a short white dash beyond cell, on M1; a blackish crescent patch on dorsum, near base; a faint, irregular, white dot next to tornus. HW fuscous, cilia white. Male 8 th sternite ( Fig. 41) round, distal margin with deep indentation. Male genitalia ( Fig. 39): uncus long, forked. Socii small, thin. Valva long, broad, tapering slightly distad; costa straight; sacculus long, ending before tip of valva; a strong, blunt tooth at middle. Aedoeagus ( Fig. 40) curved ventrad; vesica with small cornutus.

Material studied. Type; 18 males (g.s.: 4157, 5601), 2 females ( VOB); 12 males, 2 females ( AMC) .

Distribution. From Peru and Brazil, in the Amazonian lowlands, south to Santa Catarina.

Remarks. This and B. fulgurifera are the larger species in the genus, very similar to each other and for this reason have been considered synonyms by most authors ( Schaus 1901, Draudt 1932, Becker 2014). The pattern of the FW in B. lucilinea is more “smooth” and shows a faint, white mark next to tornus; whereas the FW has multiple, minute dark dots, contrasting with the ground color, in B. fulgurifera . Genitalia are also similar but the differences, though small, are consistent, very noticeable in the shape of uncus and sacculus. In B. lucilinea the uncus branches and the distal tooth at the distal third of sacullus is thicker than that of B. fulgurifera .