Ambulyx pryeri Distant, 1888

Ancajima, Georgette Paola & Duarte, Marcelo, 2023, Morphological variation of the epiphyses in some Ambulycini hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Smerinthinae), Zoologischer Anzeiger 304, pp. 1-9 : 3

Ambulyx pryeri Distant, 1888 ( Figs. 2A and 4A ).

Length and width in male: 3.08 and 1.01 mm, respectively, covering 46.3% of the foretibia. Length and width in female: 2.68 and 0.37 mm, respectively, covering 35.4% of the foretibia. Epiphyses lanceolate in both sexes, apically inserted at about two-sevenths of the foretibia length. Upper lobe concave. Lower lobe rounded. Invagination strongly accentuated, v-notched. Foretibiae length: 6.51 mm (Ƌ), 6.77 mm (♀).

Protambulyx strigilis (Linnaeus, 1771) ( Figs. 2B , 3A and 4B ).

Length and width in male: 2.29 and 0.46 mm, respectively, covering 40.2% of the foretibia. Length and width in female: 2.26 and 0.49 mm, respectively, covering 41.9% of the foretibia. Epiphysis apically inserted at about two-sevenths of the foretibia length. Lower lobe rounded. Invagination slightly accentuated, v-notched. Foretibiae length: 4.41 mm (Ƌ), 5.56 mm (♀).

Epiphyses are sexually dimorphic in the following features: i) epiphysis lanceolate in male, spoon-shaped in female; ii) upper lobe angulate in male, bilobed in female, iii) comb (For details see Table 2).

Figures

Fig. 2. Proposed characters of the epiphyses of Ambulycini. (A) Shape: a. elongated, as in Trogolegnum pseudambulyx; b. lanceolate, as in Ambulyx pryeri; c. spoon-shaped, as in Orecta lycidas; d. bent inward, as in Batocnema coquerelii. (B) Insertion point on the foretibia: a. at one-third of the tibia, as in Adhemarius gannascus; b. at one-quarter of the tibia, as in O. lycidas; c. at two-fifths of the tibia, as shown in female Akbesia davidi; d. at two-sevenths of the tibia, as in Protambulyx strigilis. (C) Upper lobe: a. straight, as observed in Compsulyx cochereaui; b. concave, as in Ad. dariensis; c. bilobed, as in B. coquerelii; d. angulate, as in Ad. eurysthenes. (D) Lower lobe: a. truncated, as in T. pseudambulyx; b. rounded, as in Ad. eurysthenes. (E) Invagination shape: a. vnotched, as in P. strigilis; b. u-notched, as in Ak. davidi. (F) Invagination degree: a. slightly accentuated, as observed in P. strigilis; b. strongly accentuated, in Am. pryeri.

Fig. 4. Epiphysial morphology of some Ambulycini (anterolateral view). (A) Ambulyx pryeri Distant, 1887. (B) Protambulyx strigilis (Linnaeus, 1771). (C) Akbesia davidi (Oberthür, 1884). (D) Compsulyx cochereaui (Viette, 1971). (E) Batocnema coquerelii (Boisduval, [1875]). (F) Orecta lycidas (Boisduval, [1875]). (G) Trogolegnum pseudambulyx (Boisduval, [1875]). (H) Adhemarius dariensis (Rothschild and Jordan, 1916). (I) Adhemarius gannascus (Stoll, 1790). (J) Adhemarius eurysthenes (Felder & Felder, 1874). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Fig. 3. Morphological details of the epiphysis in SEM. (A) Comb of Protambulyx strigilis (Linnaeus, 1771). (B). Comb of Orecta lycidas (Boisduval, [1875]). (C) Comb of Adhemarius gannascus (Stoll, 1790). (D) Acanthae of Ad. gannascus.