Josia radians Warren Plate, 1905

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 : 825-826

Josia radians Warren Plate 32

Josia radians Warren, 1905: 44 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Colombia, Onaca, Sta. Martha, 2200 ft.

TYPE: Holotype ³, leg. Engelke, wet season, Sep–Oct 1901 ( BMNH).

DISCUSSION: Material precisely matching the wing pattern of the J. radians holotype occurs in Mérida, western Venezuela. The type locality for J. radians, Onaca in far eastern Colombia, is in relatively close proximity. I suggest that these Venezuelan specimens represent radians . The problem, alluded to in the discussion of J. ligata (above), is that the genitalia of this material are indistiguishable from J. ligata genitalia. The latter is recorded from Colombia and Ecuador. These two taxa probably represent a single species. Forbes (1931) noted that wing-pattern features in Josia , such as the shape and width of the longitudinal bands, seem to vary considerably. As an alternative, he instead relied heavily on color characters from the head, thorax, and abdomen in his species key. Forbes’ observations seem to hold true throughout Josia . Ultimately, there are probably fewer species than currently recognized.

The natural history and life stages of J. radians were described by Miller and Otero (1994). It has been reared on four different Passiflora species (table 6), three belonging in Subgenus Decaloba , and the fourth in Subgenus Granadillastrum . Caterpillars can be found on Passiflora growing in highly disturbed areas, such at forest edges and roadsides.

DISTRIBUTION: Colombia (AMNH, BMNH, NMW, OUMNH, USNM) ; Venezuela (AMNH, BMNH, LACM, NMW, ZMH).

DISSECTED: Holotype ³ (genitalia slide no. JSM-634); ³, Venezuela, Mérida, Carr. vía La Mesa, 1.8 km de cruce en Carr. vía Jají, 1600 m, 18 Jun 1992, leg. L.D. Otero, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-606); ³, Venezuela, Rancho Grande nr. Maracay, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-615); ³, Venezuela, Mérida, Carr. Estanquez-Las Coloradas, 1130 m, 24 Jul 1992, leg. L.D. Otero, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-621); ♀, Venezuela, Mérida, Paseo Los Piños, 1500 m, 24 Jul 1992, leg. L.D. Otero, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-607).

3. AURIFUSA GROUP

The close-knit Aurifusa Group contains four species (pl. 33): two of these, aurifusa Walker and turgida Warren , are endemic to Venezuela; a third, J. subcuneifera Dognin , is known from southern Ecuador south to Peru; and the fourth, J. auriflua Walker , is widely distributed along the eastern Andes, from Colombia south to Bolivia. In all members of the Aurifusa Group, the HW margin is broadly orange, infused with blackish-brown scales. Life histories and morphology for the Venezuelan taxa were treated by Miller and Otero (1994) and Miller (1996).

Morphology of the genitalia, relatively uniform in the group, can be characterized by the following: costa of valva simple, wider distally; valva apex sclerotized along its upper margin, slightly cup shaped; base of vesica with a series of short spines dorsally, a single, long, spinelike cornutus distally; male Tg8 slightly narrower than St8, lateral margins slightly concave; female DB elongate, with internal denticles near base; signum tiny, ovoid.

KEY TO AURIFUSA GROUP SPECIES Plate 33

1. Outer margin of HW either completely orange between tornus and M 2, or with a diffuse black indentation along anal fold; costa slightly expanded at valva apex (figs. 341A, 343A); distal cornutus of vesica moderately large, thin (fig. 341E, 343C); female DB narrow (figs. 341D, 343E)... 2

– Outer margin of HW with an even, narrow black band between tornus and M 2; costa greatly expanded near valva apex (fig. 342A); distal cornutus of vesica large (fig. 342E); DB wide (fig. 342D) (southern Ecuador S to Peru)............. subcuneifera Dognin

2. Posterior half of HW black along outer margin from tornus to CuA 1; FW and HW stripes orange; aedeagus bent slightly upward, almost straight near apex; DB short..... 3

– Posterior half of HW entirely orange except for scattered, blackish, hairlike scales near anal margin; FW and HW stripes yellow-orange; aedeagus curving strongly upward near apex (fig. 341E); DB relatively long (fig. 341D) ( Colombia S to Bolivia).......................... auriflua Walker

3. Forewing stripe extremely wide, its anterior margin extending beyond DC; black area near HW apex extending inward only to distal margin of DC; HW with a small, diffuse blackish indentation along anal fold; dorsum of mesoscutum bearing an orange spot................. turgida Warren

– FW stripe moderately wide, its anterior margin barely extending beyond DC; black area near HW apex extending inward to wing base; HW with a long blackish indentation along anal fold; mesoscutum completely black................ aurifusa Walker

SPECIES INCLUDED AND MATERIAL EXAMINED