Conosara castanaea

Young, Catherine J., 2006, Molecular relationships of the Australian Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and implications for the phylogeny of the Geometridae from molecular and morphological data, Zootaxa 1264 (1), pp. 1-147 : 1-147

Conosara castanaea and Corula geometroides

The association between these two species was extremely well supported by 28S D2 (Fig. 10) and the percentage sequence divergence between the two species was 0.00%. Conosara Meyrick is a genus of two described species and adults of castanaea are moderately large and slender­bodied. The forewing is pale reddish­brown with a suffused pattern and a narrow, whitish, longitudinal band extending from the base to the base of the lateral margin. The hindwings are a pale brown, becoming darker posteriorly. The forewings are folded over the body at rest. It occurs in eucalypt and mixed forests in South­Eastern Australia but larvae are unknown.

Corula geometroides is a monotypic species that is restricted to habitat containing Callitris Vent. (native pine) ( Cupressaceae ) in southeastern Australia ( McFarland 1988). Adults are medium­sized. Forewings are grey with narrow, transverse, fuscous lines; hindwings are pale grey with a dark terminal band. C. geometroides is one of the few Australian geometrid species that feed on gymnosperms (but see Tasmanian Archiearinae above). Larvae consume Callitris and are well camouflaged against the foliage.

Both moths are bipectinate and apical sensillae or sensillae sensilla chaeticae are also absent on the rami. This is an unusual feature in the Nacophorini as apical sensillae were present in all species examined apart from Gastrina Guenée and Niceteria macrocosma (unpubl. data). C. castanaea has a squared and protuberant frons with rough and projecting vestiture and long labial palps whereas C. geometroides has a rounded and nonprotuberant frons with a recumbent vestiture and short palps. A basal shelf to the frons is absent in both species. Both species have a small projection dorsad to the antennae. Forewings are elongate triangular and are non­foveate; an areole is only present in C. geometroides . C. castanaea , only, has a pecten on A3 but the often corresponding swollen hind­tibia and hair­pencil is absent in this species.

Genitalia share the following features:

—simple, acute uncus, narrow at base; simple valvae; large, V­shaped gnathos; spinelike processes of the anellus; cristate hair (Figs 103, 106); curved aedeagus; discrete, rodlike cornuti (Figs 104, 107); antrum; bursa copulatrix membranous; large corpus bursae (Figs 105, 108).

Differences between the genitalia are:

— C. castanaea has a spatulate uncus (Fig. 103), compared to an acute uncus in C. geometroides (Fig. 106); signum only present in C. geometroides (Fig. 108); colliculum larger in C. castanaea (Fig. 105).

The strong relationship between these species from molecular evidence is supported by mophological similarities. However data from immature stages are needed to verify the closeness of this association.