Charadra pata (Druce)

Schmidt, Christian & Anweiler, Gary, 2010, The North American species of Charadra Walker, with a revision of the Charadra pata (Druce) group (Noctuidae, Pantheinae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 161-181 : 164-165

Charadra pata (Druce)

Fig. 1

Trisulodes pata Druce, 1894: 362 .

Charadra patens J. B. Smith, 1908 ; misspelling.

‡ Charadra basiflava J. B. Smith, 1908 ; unavailable name.

Type material. Charadra pata – Guatemala, Guatemala City. Holotype female. BMNH; examined. Charadra basiflava – this taxon was listed as a synonym of pata by Franclemont & Todd (1983). Todd (1982) questioned the validity of Smith’s description, which consists of: “ Trisuloides patens [sic] Druce, is a Charadra which I had named basiflava before Dr. Barnes called my attention to the figure in the Biologia (II, 509, p. 96). It has been taken at Palmerlee, Cochise Co., Arizona, and is no doubt a member of our fauna.” ( Smith 1908). Th e question is then what Smith meant when he said “had named.” Since there is no earlier published mention of basiflava , we take this statement to mean that Smith had determined and labeled a specimen as a new species and intended to describe it as basiflava . Todd (1982) also concluded this was the most likely meaning of Smith’s statement, and designated as lectotype a specimen labeled “ Charadra basiflava Smith Type”. However, Smith’s (1908) statement does not qualify as a valid description under the provision of Article 12 of the ICZN (1999), and basiflava is therefore an unavailable name (a conclusion apparently also reached by Poole 1989, as the taxon is not included in his publication). Th e lectotype designated by Todd (1982) is therefore not a true “type.” Even if Smith’s description is deemed to be valid, the type specimen is the illustration of C. pata in Druce (1894) , not the specimen designated as lectotype by Todd (1982).

Diagnosis. The wing markings of the female holotype, the only known specimen of this species, are most similar to those of C. oligarchia (only known from two males) and C. patafex . Compared to C. oligarchia , C. pata has a darker grey-brown forewing subterminal area with a contrasting white reniform area, but lacks any outline of a reniform (reniform outlined in oligarchia ); the orbicular spot is slightly larger and more oblong in C. oligarchia . Compared to C. patafex , the forewing medial area of C. pata is contrastingly darker (concolorous with basal area in C. patafex ) and the reniform area is white (brownish grey in C. patafex ); also the hindwing marginal band is darker and narrower in C. pata than in C. patafex .

Distribution and biology. Known only from the type locality, Guatemala City, Guatemala. Nothing is known of the biology, although the larvae possibly feed on oak, as do those of C. tapa and C. franclemonti .

Remarks. After studying the type specimen of C. pata , we have come to the conclusion that this is not the same species as the Arizona taxon that has gone under this name, and belongs to a southern Mexican / Central American group of species consisting of C. pata , C. oligarchia , C. cakulha sp. n. and coyopa sp. n., here termed the oligarchia subgroup. Th e holotype female of C. pata (Fig. 1) differs from the tapa subgroup ( C. franclemonti sp. n. and C. tapa sp. n.) in several key characters, namely the white, almost completely unmarked reniform area (grey and well marked with the usual markings in the tapa subgroup), a prominent and thick, well-defined black terminus of the subterminal line near the anal angle characteristic of the oligarchia subgroup (thinner, diffuse and poorly defined in tapa subgroup), browner tone of the forewing ground colour (grey in tapa subgroup). The genitalic structure of the type female of C. pata differs from that of both C. franclemonti and C. tapa in that the antevaginal plate has short lobes, like C. tapa (long and prong-like in C. franclemonti ), but with a more flared-out basal region than in either C. tapa or C. franclemonti , and the sclerotized lateral margins of the ductus bursae are nearly symmetrical, lacking the pronounced ventral twist of the right lateral margin of C. tapa (also nearly symmetrical in C. franclemonti ).

Based on the brownish ground colour, prominent black mark of the anal angle and whitish reniform area, we place C. pata in the oligarchia subgroup. Th e lack of associated specimens of corresponding sexes is problematic, as it leaves the possibility that C. pata is the same species as C. oligarchia , C. patafex , C. cakulha or C. coyopa ; a correlation in the structure of the male and female genitalia in this group is of some help, since asymmetrical placement or size of the male vesica cornuti corresponds to asymmetry in the shape and sclerotization of the ductus bursa (where the cornuti are presumably positioned during copulation: for example, in C. tapa , males have both cornuti positioned on the right, while females have a more heavily sclerotized, twisted right lateral margin of the ductus bursae). Th e nearly symmetrical ductus bursae of C. pata suggests a similar symmetrical placement and size of male cornuti, which would rule out C. oligarchia and C. patafex , (Figs 2, 3), a conclusion that also is supported by differences in wing markings. C. cakulha has both symmetrical placement and size of cornuti (Fig. 24), but differs markedly in wing markings (Fig. 7), as does C. coyopa (Fig. 10).