Josia auriflua Walker, 1864

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 : 826-827

Josia auriflua Walker Figure 341 ; plate 33

Josia auriflua Walker, 1864: 132 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, ‘‘Bogotá’’.

TYPE: Syntype ♀, ex Stevens Collection ( BMNH).

Josia flavipars Prout, 1918: 422–423 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Bolivia, Prov. del Sara, Dept. Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

TYPE: Holotype ³, leg. J. Steinbach ( BMNH).

Josia inaequiflexa Dognin, 1918: 4 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Ecuador, Pramba, 4050 m.

TYPE: Syntype ³ ( USNM type no. 30942).

Josia scalata Dognin, 1911b: 4 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Peru, Chanchamayo.

TYPE: Holotype ♀ ( USNM type no. 30943).

DISCUSSION: Not having dissected the auriflua female syntype, from Bogotá, nor having studied other specimens from Colombia, it is difficult to stabilize this name. Josia material exhibiting a wide, yellow-orange FW stripe and a HW divided into a blackish-brown anterior half and a yellow-orange posterior half, represents a difficult species complex. The genitalia of J. auriflua are almost indistinguishable from those of J. aurifusa , indigenous to Venezuela. I have not dissected the types of flavipars Prout , inaequiflexa Dognin , or scalata Dognin , listed above as synonyms of J. auriflua , to confirm whether they are conspecific. For now, I defer to Bryk (1930), retaining them as synonyms.

It seems unlikely that the type of inaequiflexa was collected at an elevation of 4050 meters, as is clearly stated on the label. In all probability the moth was collected at 4050 feet. A French Guiana male (J. Cerda Collection), superficially indistinguishable from J. auriflua , broadens the distribution of this moth considerably.

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia (AMNH, BMNH, CAS, CUIC, MNHN, OUMNH, USNM, VOB, ZMH) ; Ecuador (AMNH, CMNH,

CUIC, FNHM, LACM, MNHN, OUMNH, USNM); Peru (AMNH, CUIC, FML, MUSM, USNM, ZMH); Bolivia (BMNH, CAS, CMNH, CUIC, USNM, ZMH); Brazil (NMW); French Guiana (JCC).

DISSECTED: ³, Ecuador, Bolivar , Balzapamba, Nov 1893 – Feb 1894, leg. M. de Mathan, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-339 ) ; ♀, Peru, El Campamiento , Col. Perene, 10 Jun 1920, CU Expedition Lot 607, Sub 80, CUIC (genitalia slide no. JSM-293 ) ; ♀, Ecuador, Paramba, BMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-340 ) .

Figures

Fig. 341. Genitalia of Josia auriflua (³ JSM-339, ♀ JSM-340). A, ³ genitalia; B, ³ Tg8; C, ³ St8; D,