Archivos de diario de noviembre 2023

01 de noviembre de 2023

Taxonomy | Eupterotidae | Eupterotinae | Tagora

Since June (2023), when @andrewhardacre noted there was a recent publication by Naumann & Nässig (2022) on the genus Tagora, I have been trying to find a few hours in which to update the repercussions of said paper.

In essence, what had been regarded as Eupterote pandya (ex Ganisa pandya) has been given a thorough taxonomic (morphological and molecular) investigation. As a result, over a dozen new species have been described, mostly each with a very limited geographic distribution. On external morphology, there is little to easily diagnose each species, though reproductive morphology and molecular data support each species.
As a result, the genus Tagora was redescribed and the Hong Kong "pandya" was redescribed as a new species, Tagora loeffleri, which is known from Hong Kong and northern Vietnam. True pandya is a Himalayan species.

Tagora loeffleri, Hong Kong

The full paper is some 100 pages long, with excellent illustrations of adult voucher material and morphology, several distribution maps and most useful table of diagnostic features. Very little larval or ecological information is known for the genus.

Publicado el noviembre 1, 2023 07:08 MAÑANA por hkmoths hkmoths | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

15 de noviembre de 2023

Taxonomy | Geometridae | Geometrinae | Hemithea

More trouble.

The genus Hemithea is not straightforward.

In Hong Kong there are three species known and at least one other possible.
Known:
H. tritonaria
H. insularia
H. marina

Suspected:
H. krakonaria

problem is that on external morphology only H. marina is identifiable in the field. The other three belong to the H. neptunaria group.

H. marina
note the terminal fascia is only slightly darker green than the ground colour, not black as per the neptunaria complex, in which tritonaria is described from Hong Kong, the other key species being neptunaria, posidonaria, insularia and krakenaria - see Moths of Borneo 9).
Species in the neptunaria group are best determined by dissection as the genital morphology is distinct. Larval morphology may also be diagnostic, though as yet only H. insularia & tritonaria have been reared in Hong Kong.

Other similar genera.....

Jodis, Maxates and Chlorissa.

Jodis & Maxates species have no abdominal blotch
Chlorissa aquamarina has no terminal fascia and a paler, jade green, more translucent apprearance.

Here's a visual comparison:

H. tritonaria OR H. insularia
(black wing margin)
H. marina
(dark green / concolorous wing margins)
Jodis nanda
(no abdominal blotch, no terminal fascia)
Maxates microdonta group
(no abdominal blotch, dark green / concolorous wing margins)
Chlorissa aquamarina
(no terminal fascia, pale jade, strong discal dots)
Publicado el noviembre 15, 2023 03:48 TARDE por hkmoths hkmoths | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

24 de noviembre de 2023

Taxonomy | Thyrididae

more fallout from the recent Moths of Laos publication (2020):

(A) Definite changes
(1) all records in HK of Calindoea argentalis (Walker, 1866) are referable to Calindoea sapa Owada & Kobayashi, 2020, which occurs in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and southern China - the forewing costal margin of sapa is much browner, the f/w subterminal spotted fascia almost non existant and the hindwing fasciae less distinct. Further information on this species "pair" is given under the atlas entry for C. sapa

Calindoea argentalis
(from Java)
Calindoea sapa
(from Hong Kong)

(2) Owada & Kobayashi have revived the combination Hypolamprus subrosealis Leech, 1889 (previously as Picrostomastis subrosealis)

(B) Likely changes (pending taxonomic investigation of HK material).
further changes in the Laotian Thyrididae paper will likely impact the following two taxa in HK:
(1) Banisia lobata (Moore, 1882) perhaps now B. ceylonensis Whalley, 1976; prev. as ssp pf lobata;
(2) Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1859) possibly should be B. elaralis (Walker, 1859); prev. as ssp of myrsusalis

M. Owada & M. Kobayashi (2020). Thyrididae. pp 182-197 in Kishida, Y. (ed). Moths of Laos, Part 1 Tinea 25 (Supplement 2)
[link opens as PDF file]

Publicado el noviembre 24, 2023 02:20 TARDE por hkmoths hkmoths | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario