Getta unicolor (Hering) Miller, James S, 2009

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 : 711-720

Getta unicolor (Hering) , new combination Figures 289A , 297 ; plate 27

Polyptychia unicolor Hering, 1925: 530 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Peru, Yurimaguas. TYPE: Holotype ♀ ( ZMH).

DISCUSSION: This species had been a mystery since my research on the Dioptinae first began. Hering (1925) described unicolor in Polyptychia , and it was retained there by Bryk (1930). Several years ago, I had identified a French Guyana female (BHC) as Polyptychia unicolor . That female and the female holotype were thought to be the only known specimens. However, during a visit to the BMNH (March 2005), a male of what I thought was an undescribed Getta species was discovered among their unidentified material. Its membership in Getta was clear—the moth bore the characteristic FW and HW androconia (pl. 27). Upon further study, this male, from Bartica, Guyana, exhibited a set of unusual characters: First, FW vein M 1 is long stalked with the radial sector, a condition that does not occur in Polyptychia (fig. 298E) but provides one of the diagnostic features for Getta (fig. 289F, H). Second, the apex of Lp2 bears an extremely wide, dense, fanlike tuft (fig. 289A). Third, the moth has ridgelike tufts running vertically along the lateral margins of the front, extending from the clypeus up to the vertex between the antennal bases (fig. 289A). This set of traits is unique for the Dioptinae . Subsequent comparisons showed that the French Guiana unicolor female exhibits the same wing venation, tufted labial palpus, and frontal crests as the Guyana male. This female was recompared with the unicolor type, and the mystery was solved— unicolor Hering (1925) belongs in Getta as a new combination, rather than in Polyptychia . Had Hering seen a unicolor male, he would not have made that error.

With this knowledge in hand, I searched available museum material and located a total of eight G. unicolor specimens (233, 6♀♀ including the type). Even though the moth is rare, it shows a surprisingly broad distribution. Getta unicolor can be found across the Guyana Shield from Venezuela east to French Guiana, and seemingly occurs throughout the Upper Amazon Basin, from Peru north to Colombia. As additional specimens of G. unicolor accumulate, it will be interesting to determine whether the species is truly widespread, or alternatively, whether it comprises a species complex, similar to the case of G. baetifica and its close relatives.

Getta unicolor (pl. 27) is unmistakable. Its tufted palpi (fig. 289A) are a giveaway. The wings show a faint blue iridescence, but not the dazzling blue found in G. baetifica . Furthermore, G. unicolor is much larger (3 FW length 5 21.0–22.5 mm) than either G. niveifascia (3 FW length 5 11.0–19.0 mm) or G. ennia (3 FW length 5 17.0 mm), the only other species with which its wing pattern might be confused. The genitalia in both sexes of G. unicolor are also unique (fig. 297). It is interesting to note an unusual group of small cornuti on the male vesica. When viewed with a dissecting scope, these are shaped like scoli, found on the bodies of saturniid caterpillars. Such scolus-like cornuti occur nowhere else in the Notodontidae as far as I am aware.

DISTRIBUTION: Peru (BMNH, ZMH); Ecuador (FNHM); Colombia (BMNH) ; Venezuela (LACM); French Guiana (BHC, MNHN); Guyana (BMNH).

DISSECTED: 3, Guyana, Bartica , BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-1523 ) ; ♀, Colombia, Florida, Río Putumayo, Apr 1932, leg. G .

Klug, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-1526 ) ; ♀, French Guiana, C. Bar Collection, BMNH (slide no. JSM-1734 ) .

The following species has been transferred from Getta :

clite Walker to Erbessa Walker

POLYPTYCHIA C. AND R. FELDER, 1874 Figures 298–304 ; plate 27

Polyptychia C. and R. Felder, 1874 : pl. 104, fig. 7. Type species: Polyptychia fasciculosa C. and R. Felder, 1874 (by monotypy).

DIAGNOSIS: Males of Polyptychia are highly distinctive, being the only dioptine with conspicuous white, hairlike androconia along the length of the hind femora and tibiae (pl. 27). Males are also unique in possessing two androconial organs on the HW (fig. 298E)—the first located immediately beyond the DC along the cubital vein, and the second in a large fold on the anal margin. Although both organs enclose deciduous androconia, they are structurally different. The one along the anal margin contains long gray bristles (fig. 301B, C), and under those, a large pocket of white, wooly, apparently sticky scales (fig. 301D, E). The second pouch, beyond the DC, encloses an elaborate androconial organ containing thickened, fleshy-looking deciduous scales (figs. 300B–F, 301A). At its basal end is a brush of long, thick, bristlelike scales (figs. 299, 300A). No other dioptine possesses a two-part androconial system of this type.

Females can be distinguished by their small yellow spot immediately below the HW apex (pl. 27). This spot varies in size, being conspicuous in some species but almost absent in others. It is usually slightly larger on the HW ventral surface. Another trait for distinguishing Polyptychia (both sexes) from other Josiini is the configuration of the FW radials (fig. 298E); Rs 4 branches from the radial sector below veins Rs 1 –Rs 3. This also occurs in a single species of Getta — G. unicolor (pl. 27)—but nowhere else in the Dioptinae . Polyptychia and G. unicolor can be separated because M 1 is long stalked with the radial sector in the latter, whereas in Polyptychia M 1 arises from the anterolateral angle of the DC. Their androconial systems differ dramatically.

REDESCRIPTION: Male. FW length 5 18.5–23.0 mm. Head (fig. 298A–D): Labial

3 Tg8; D, aedeagus; E, ♀ genitalia (illustration by A. Trabka).

palpus long, porrect, gradually upturned to immediately above clypeus; Lp2 slightly longer than Lp1, Lp3 somewhat elongate, bullet shaped; clypeus scaleless; frontal scales pointing downward from antennal bases, ventral few pointing horizontally toward midline above clypeus; eye large, bulging outward, gena narrow, scaleless; scales on vertex pointing anteriorly, with a faint part between antennal bases; antenna bipectinate, rami relatively short, approximately 20 terminal annulations simple.

Thorax (fig. 301F): Epiphysis relatively short, narrow, its apex falling well short of tibial apex; femur and tibia of metathoracic leg covered with short scales on outer surface, inner surface covered with a dense brush of long, white, hairlike androconia (pl. 27), longest and most conspicuous on posterior surfaces; tegula long, dorsal portion narrow, ventral process acute, the two sections divided by a strong transverse sulcus; metathoracic tympanum of the kettledrum type, membrane large, enclosed, oriented horizontally.

Forewing (fig. 298E; pl. 27): Shaped like an elongate triangle, drawn out toward apex, apical angle acute, outer margin almost straight; vein Rs 1 stalked with Rs 2 –Rs 4; Rs 4 arising from radial sector below veins Rs 1 – Rs 3; Rs 1 –Rs 3 in the pattern 2+[3+4]; M 1 arising from anterolateral angle of DC near base of Rs 1 –Rs 4, UDC extremely short; DC less than one-half FW length; veins M 3 and CuA 1 stalked; ground color dark brown to blackish brown, with a yellow transverse band beyond DC.

Hind wing (figs. 298E, 299, 300, 301; pl. 27): Triangular, apical angle acute; Rs and M 1 fused; two complex androconial organs present: the first, a deep, slitlike pouch located beyond DC, situated between M 2 and M 3 +CuA 1, ending before HW outer margin; slit enclosing bat shaped, deciduous androconia, these covered by a long brush of coarse scales arising together from anterior end of slit; second androconial organ comprising a pouch, located along a deeply folded anal margin, edged with a row of extremely long, hairlike scales; pouch enclosing a large packet of white, wooly, deciduous scales; veins M 3 and CuA 1 obscured by central (anterior) androconial pouch, their apices appearing as small folds near margin.

Abdomen: Elongate, apex acute; dorsum slightly darker than venter, no stripe present along pleuron.

Terminalia (figs. 302A–D, 303A, 303C–E): Tg8 short, slightly wider anteriorly than posteriorly, anterior margin with a pair of broad, anterolateral apodemes; St8 slightly longer than Tg8, with acute anterolateral angles, sternum somewhat wider anteriorly than posteriorly; socii/uncus complex with a relatively wide attachment to tegumen; socii laterally compressed, variable in size and shape (see description of P. hermieri ); tegumen as tall as vinculum, relatively narrow, forming hump shaped shoulders at dorsum; vinculum narrow; saccus absent; valva large, roughly forming an upright, elongate oval; BO large, occupying most of valva; pleats of BO on inner surface enclosing fine, hairlike androconia; a ventral pocket on valva’s lateral surface enclosing long, thick, bristlelike androconia, the base of each set in a darkened socket; costa narrow at base, becoming much wider distally, forming large scoop-shaped ( P. hermieri ) or flattened ( P. fasciculosa ) processes; apex of valva lightly sclerotized, curled inward; region above BO and below apex membranous, with fine, transverse striations; transtillar arms narrow, oriented either slightly downward or horizontally, meeting to form a small concave structure in anellus at midline; spiculate patch above transtilla (some Josiini ) absent; aedeagus broad, anterior end slightly constricted, apex with a tiny ventral tooth; vesica extremely large, broadly transverse, covered with long, spinelike cornuti; ductus ejaculatorius simplex sinuate, curled.

Female. FW length 5 19.0–25.0 mm. Body characters as in male except: antenna ciliate; FW longer and broader, less acutely angled at apex; HW broader, lacking androconial organs; apex with a small, yellow, commashaped submarginal spot, its anterior margin touching Rs, its posterior margin touching M 3; abdomen much broader, truncate.

Terminalia (figs. 302E, 303B): Tg7 longer than Tg6, similar in length to St7, lateral margins broadly excavated near midpoint, anterior margin simple, posterior margin simple, with a wide sclerotized band; St7 slightly narrower at posterior margin than at anterior one, otherwise unmodified; Tg8 sclerotized posterior margin rounded, forming a rooflike structure over PA; AA long; A8 pleuron lightly sclerotized; PA small, membranous, bearing long setae, PA margins with a prominent dorsal lobe; PP long, thin, curving downward; area of PVP extremely wide, lightly sclerotized, margins obscure, surface spiculate; DB short and wide, dorsoventrally compressed; body of CB roughly ovoid, with numerous melanized folds in membrane; base of CB with a large, wide, sclerotized, flattened appendix on dorsum, its surface coriaceous, appendix somewhat Ushaped in posterior view, DS attached at its posterior margin; signum large, shield shaped, concave in lateral view, its internal surface coarsely dentate along lateral margins.

DISTRIBUTION: Polyptychia is strictly South American. The group is most common in the Upper Amazon Basin of Brazil and in northern South America, especially the Guyana Shield. Much of the material of P. fasciculosa in museum collections was captured near the turn of the 20th century at Suapure, in central Venezuela on the Orinoco River. A single example of P. hermieri , sp. nov., is known from Trinidad (CMNH). Polyptychia is an inhabitant of lowland rainforests; to my knowledge, not a single specimen has been collected above 500 meters in elevation. The southernmost Polyptychia record is from Fazenda Rancho Grande (Rondônia), at the headwaters of the Rio Madeira.

BIOLOGY: Polyptychia , like its close relative Getta , is associated with Passiflora species in the subgenus Astrophea (table 6). Polyptychia hermieri , sp. nov., was reared in French Guiana on Passiflora candida (pl. 41B). It appears likely that the entire clade to which Getta and Polyptychia belong (Clade 19; fig. 7; see below) will be found in association with Astrophea . Host plants remain unknown for Phavaraea , the other genus of that lineage.

Caterpillars of P. hermieri (pl. 39H) resemble Getta larvae (pl. 40B), but show a more intricate series of blackish transverse lines across the abdominal dorsum. They are large, feeding along the edges of the tough, dry leaves of P. candida .

DISCUSSION: According to my phylogenetic analyses, Polyptychia belongs in a subclade of the Josiini (Clade 19; fig. 7) that includes Getta and Phavaraea , and totals 12 species (appendix 2). Within the clade, Polyptychia arises above Getta as the sister group to Phavaraea . These results should be considered provisional, however. Certain apomorphies imply that Getta and Polyptychia might instead be sister groups. Potential synapomorphies for these two are their diamondshaped male hind wings, and the fusion of HW veins Rs and M 1 (figs. 289H, 298E). To truly understand relationships within this lineage, it will be necessary to treat all 12 species in a single analysis. Ideally, such a study would employ characters from immature stages and DNA.

The androconial systems in Polyptychia are perplexing. Nowhere else in the Dioptinae do androconia occur on the legs, and although HW androconial organs occur in Getta and Phavaraea , it is difficult to imagine that these are homologous with the elaborate central pocket of Polyptychia . Perhaps developmental research could provide insights into this remarkable phenomenon.

KEY TO POLYPTYCHIA SPECIES Plate 27

1. Forewing ground color dark chocolate brown; transverse FW band light yellow, narrow; bristlelike scales at base of central androconial patch light brown; costal process near apex of valva broad, flat (fig. 302A); uncus with a tiny dorsal crest, apex of uncus long, narrow; socii narrow, with an acute dorsal process near apex; FW length 5 19.0–25.0 mm ( Colombia, Venezuela, Upper Amazon of Brazil)................... fasciculosa C. and R. Felder

– FW ground color blackish brown to black; transverse FW band lemon yellow, relatively wide; bristlelike scales at base of central androconial patch cream colored to beige; costal process near apex of valva narrow, concave (fig. 303A); uncus with a large dorsal crest, apex of uncus short, blunt; socii wide, with a wide dorsal flange near apex; FW length 5 18.5–21.5 mm ( Trinidad, French Guiana, Low- er Amazon of Brazil)..... hermieri , sp. nov.

SPECIES INCLUDED AND MATERIAL EXAMINED

Figures

Fig. 289. Morphology of Getta. A, head of G. unicolor 3, lateral view; B, head G. niveifascia 3, lateral view; C, head of G. niveifascia 3, frontal view; D, head G. niveifascia 3, posterior view; E, G. baetifica 3 labial palpus; F, G. baetifica ♀ wings; G, G. niveifascia 3 tegula; H, G. baetifica 3 wings (illustration by J.S. Miller).

Fig. 297. Genitalia of Getta unicolor (3 JSM-1523, ♀ JSM-1734). A, 3 genitalia; B, ♀ genitalia; C, 3 Tg8; D, aedeagus; E, 3 St8.

Fig. 298. Morphology of Polyptychia hermieri (3). A, head, lateral view; B, head, frontal view; C, head, posterior view; D, head, lateral view; E, wings (illustration by J.S. Miller).

Fig. 299. Scanning electron micrographs of Polyptychia hermieri (3), HW dorsal surface. A, brush of bristlelike scales covering central androconial pocket; B, base of brush, with a few androconia from central pocket showing below; C, base of brush scales; D, apex of a single brush scale; E, apex of a brush scale; F, surface of a brush scale.

Fig. 300. Scanning electron micrographs of Polyptychia hermieri (3), HW dorsal surface. A, close-up of brush scale surface; B, central androconial pocket, showing bare area where deciduous androconia have been removed; C, deciduous androconia of central pocket; D, apex of deciduous androconium; E, base of deciduous androconium from central pocket; F, close-up of deciduous androconium base.

Fig. 301. Scanning electron micrographs of Polyptychia hermieri (3), HW dorsal surface. A, surface of deciduous androconium from central pocket; B, anal margin, showing hairlike scales covering androconial fold; C, fold of anal margin; D, deciduous wooly scales from androconial fold; E, surface of wooly scale; F, apex of tibial spur, showing serrate margins.

Fig. 302. Genitalia of Polyptychia fasciculosa (3 JSM-1359, ♀ JSM-1360). A, 3 genitalia; B, 3 St8; C,

Fig. 303. Genitalia of Polyptychia hermieri, sp. nov. (3 JSM-1505, ♀ JSM-716). A, 3 genitalia; B, ♀ genitalia; C, 3 St8; D, aedeagus; E, 3 Tg8, dorsal view.

Fig. 304. Known distributions of newly described South American Josiini: Josia neblina, Notascea brevispinula, Notascea loxa, Phintia broweri, Polyptychia hermieri, and Scea torrida.