Lyces ena (Boisduval), 1870

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 : 767-768

Lyces ena (Boisduval) , new combination Figure 320E ; plate 29

Retila ena Boisduval, 1870: 95 .

TYPE LOCALITY: French Guiana, Cayenne.

TYPE: Syntype ♀ ( BMNH).

Ephialtias tryma Schaus, 1896: 154 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Trinidad.

TYPE: Syntype ³ ( USNM type no. 11574).

DISCUSSION: As Hering (1925) noted, L. ena is perhaps the most common species of Josiini in collections. The taxon is widespread, occurring from Panama south to Brazil and Peru, and is one of only three josiines found on Trinidad. Based on genital similarities, L. ena belongs in a subclade of the Angulosa Group along with L. ariaca , L. banana , and L. enoides . All of these are separable by their wing patterns (pl. 29).

However, Lyces ena (pl. 29) and Proutiella infans (pl. 26) are essentially indistinguishable, sharing nearly identical wing pattern, body coloration, and size. Both show variation in the width and shape of the yellow transverse FW band. It has long been assumed by curators at collections around the world that all josiines of this size and appearance represent a single species— L. ena . Not until August 2005, when the type of infans was studied, did it become clear to me that two species were actually involved. Upon closer inspection, wing venation and abdominal coloration provide easy means for separation. As is true of other Lyces species (fig. 320I), FW vein M 1 in L. ena arises from the DC, almost touching—but separate from—the base of the radial sector; the abdominal venter is completely white or whitish gray; the thoracic scales are short, but they are not ovoid and appressed. In Proutiella infans , on the other hand, M 1 is stalked with Rs 1 –Rs 4, arising basal to Rs 1 (see fig. 284C); the abdominal venter is white with a wide gray stripe along the midline; and the thoracic scales are extremely short, ovoid, and appressed.

Lyces ena has been recorded from two Passiflora species (table 6): in French Guiana, caterpillars were found on Passiflora laurifolia , whereas in Panama they feed on P. vitifolia . These plants belong in different Passiflora subgenera according to Killip (1938).

The type of tryma Schaus shows identical characteristics, including male genital morphology (JSM-1533), with those of L. ena , thus confirming Prout’s (1918) synonymy.

DISTRIBUTION: Panama (AMNH, BMNH, FNHM, USNM); Venezuela (AMNH, MNHN, NMW, USNM); Trinidad (AMNH, BMNH, CMNH, CUIC, MNHN, OUMNH, USNM); Guyana (USNM); French Guiana (AMNH, BMNH, CUIC, MNHN, OUMNH, USNM, ZMH); Brazil (AMNH, BMNH, CMNH, CUIC, MNHN, NMW, USNM, ZMC, ZMH); Colombia (MNHN, USNM) ; Peru (AMNH, LACM, MUSM, ZMH).

DISSECTED: ³ syntype of tryma Schaus, USNM (genitalia slide no. JSM-1533 ) ; ³, French Guiana , Cayenne, Mar 1917, CMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-708 ) ; ³, Brazil, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-139 ; wing slide no. JSM-176 ) ; ♀, French Guiana , Mana River , May 1917, CMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-709 ) ; ♀, Panama, Pipeline Road , Canal Area, 9 May 1992, leg. C. Penz, ex egg on Passiflora vitifolia, USNM (genitalia slide no. JSM-504 ) ; ♀, Peru, Upper Río Huallaga , 20 Jul 1928, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-140 ) ; ♀, Trinidad, BWI, Arima Valley , 25 Feb 1957, AMNH (genitalia slide no. JSM-505 ) .

Figures

Fig. 320. Morphology of Lyces (³³). A, head of L. angulosa, lateral view; B, head of L. patula, lateral view; C, head of L. patula, frontal view; D, head of L. patula, posterior view; E, L. ena labial palpus; F, L. striata labial palpus; G, L. attenuata labial palpus; H, L. ariaca head, lateral view; I, L. angulosa wings (illustration by J.S. Miller).