Syllepte Hubner 1823

Syllepte Hübner, 1823 Syllepte Hübner, 1823: Zuträge Samml. exot. Schmett., 2: 18. TS: Syllepte incomptalis Hübner, 1823,Zuträge Samml. exot.Schmett., 2: 18, pl. [50], figs 285, 286, by monotypy. =Sylepta Hübner, [1825]: Verz. bekannter Schmett.: 336, misspelling (misspl). =Syllepta Hübner,[1826]: Verz.bekannter Schmett.(Anz.):58, misspl. = Pantographa Lederer, 1863, Wien ent. Monatschr. 7: 270. Syn. n. Type-species (TS): Pionea scripturalis Guenée, 1854, Hist. nat. Insectes, 8: 373, by monotypy. =Pantographis Lederer, 1863, Wien ent. Monatschr. 7: 270, incorrect original spelling. = Micromartinia Amsel, 1957,Ent. Venez. 10 (3-4): [2], replacement name. Syn. n. =Martinia Amsel, 1956, Bol. Ent. Venez. 10 (3): 198. Preoccupied. (M’Coy, 1844 [Brachiopoda]). Syn. n. TS: Botys mnemusalis Walker, 1859,List Specimens of lepid.insects in the Colln Br. Mus. 18: 593, by original designation. Diagnosis: Medium to large (Figs. 1-2 a-m): FW length 14-20 mm (32-45 mm wingspan). Labial palpi short, curved up to mid frons. Antenna short ciliated in males, filiform in females.Forewing (FW) apex angled or falcate, pale yellow, area distad of median line to termen, from dorsum to M 1, often fuscous; orbicular and reniform spots well marked; a dotted line distad of the postmedial band, half the way between this and termen. Hind wing (HW) often dusted with fuscous scales; orbicular spot present, often followed distad by a conspicuous whitish reniform dot; four dotted, partially interrupted, nearly parallel lines from near base to before termen. Male genitalia (Figs. 3-4): Uncus short, wide, apex round (Figs.3 a-h) or indented (Figs.3 i-m). Valva broad, tapering towards round apex, costa straight, ventral margin evenly round, sacculus ill-defined, fibula small, thin, sharp pointed, or a flat, small, subrectangular plate. Vinculum round, small, expanded basad as thin or long spine at middle. Phallus long, thin, nearly straight; vesica with or without long, sclerotized plate. Female genitalia (Figs. 5 l-q): Ostium bursae long, except for S. sororalis, narrow; ductus bursae long, almost as long as abdomen, straight, broadened slightly basad; corpus bursae oblong, signum a small, round, spiny plate. Host plants: Known only for two species of the genus, all plants belong in the Malvaceae. Syllepte limata, popularly known in the USA as the Basswood (Tilia americana) leafroller moth was also reared on Ochroma pyramidale in Puerto Rico (Martorell, [1976]: 182). Syllepte confusalis was reared by the author from leafroller caterpillars feeding on Callianthe rufinervia (A.ST.-Hil.) in Brazil. Distribution: New World, from Quebec, along eastern North America, to the Caribbean (S. limata), and all of them from Mexico to southern Brazil, where at least some of them are present. In VOB there is a series of 12 specimens of S. incomptalis (Fig. 1d) collected at the dry, semi-desertic areas of Mexico (Sonora, Colima, Puebla, Chiapas), and in the USNM a few from Mexico, and one from Costa Rica (as P. idmonalis Druce). Remarks: The original figures in Hübner (1823: pl. [50], figs 285, 286), reproduced here (Figs. 1 a-b), are rather crude, as expected to be found in publications from the time. However, the patterns of both the dorsal and ventral sides, are sufficient to allow recognition. There are several species in the New World tropics that resemble S. incomptalis. However, as clearly shown in the original illustrations, S. incomptalis FW has a dotted line distad of the postmedial band, halfway between this and termen, and the HW presents four dotted lines, a unique combination of characters only present in this species. All the other species either do not have such a line, or this line is replaced by a broad, gray band along termen, and the HW usually has two lines -three in a few cases- but never four. As old specimens of pyraloids have been found in the NHMW, Vienna, that possibly includes Hübner material (Munroe, 1958: 298), it seems appropriate that a neotype should not be designated, as some relevant type specimen(s) might still turn up. Munroe (1995: 59) listed nine species in Pantographa, including P. idmonalis Druce, syn. n., a junior synonym of S. incomptalis and Sylepta [sic] S. prorogata Hampson, 1912, syn. n. (Fig. 2o), a junior synonym of Haritalodes pharaxalis (Druce, 1895), comb. n. It is very likely that his decision was based on the characters of genitalia. To confirm this, the genitalia of all species (Figs. 3-4) were examined. As S. mnemusalis (Walker) (Figs. 3 q-r), the type species of Micromartinia Amsel, syn. n., resembles S. gorgonalis (Druce, 1895) (Fig. 1n), specimens of these were also dissected and the genitalia (Figs. 3 q-r) confirm their close relationship, making Micromartinia another junior synonym. The genitalia of some of the species listed by Munroe under Syllepte with a pattern that resembles that of species formerly listed under Pantographa, were also dissected, but none seems to be congeneric with S. incomptalis. Two specimens that look very similar to specimens of S. incomptalis, collected together with specimens of this species, are also described here as a new species, to avoid future confusion. Some of the species listed by Munroe under Syllepte as mispl.[aced] were also dissected and found not congeneric with S. incomptalis, i.e.: S. aechmisalis (Walker) (Figs. 2q, 4 s-t) [see Haritalodes remarks], S. amando (Cramer, 1779) (Figs. 2l, 4 g-h), S. angulifera (Druce, 1895) (Figs. 2i, 4 m-n), S. coelivitta (Walker, [1886]) (Figs. 2k, 4 o-p), S. dialis Schaus, 1912, [= S. strigicincta Hampson, 1912, syn. n.] (Figs.2 c-f, 4e-f), S. laticalis (Lederer, 1863) (Figs. 2g, 4 i-j), S. pactolalis (Guenée, 1854) (Figs. 2m, 4 q-r), and S. striginervalis (Guenée, 1854) (Figs. 2h, 4 m-n). Considering that the main purpose of this work is to establish the identity of S. incomptalis, not a revision of the genus, the resulting new combinations and synonymies are only summarized below (see Nomenclatural summary), and illustrations of the adults and genitalia are presented to allow their identification.

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