A synopsis of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) of Trinidad and Tobago
Author
González, Jorge M.
Author
Cock, Matthew J. W.
text
Zootaxa
2004
762
1
19
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.158237
19cf13dc-ccff-48cd-bd4f-c5d3f2593c96
11755326
158237
92392970-95FD-4341-AE4B-C1C61D8C0B1F
Telchin syphax syphax
(
Fabricius 1775
)
,
comb. nov.
(Fig. 11)
This is a widely distributed species in the Guianas and lower Amazon but has not been reported from north of the Orinoco River in
Venezuela
(
González 1999
), so the
Trinidad
record presented here is now the northernmost report known.
Miller (1986)
included this species, together with
licus
, in the subgenus
Leucocastnia
of
Castniomera
noting that there are no significant differences in genitalia to warrant separation at the generic level. JMG has studied genitalia from both genera recently and agrees with
Miller (1986)
that these species are congeneric. However,
Miller (1995)
and
Lamas (1995)
placed
syphax
in
Erythrocastnia
,
and
Lamas (1995)
assigned
licus
to
Telchin
.
We therefore revert to
Miller (1986)
in treating
licus
and
syphax
as congeneric, but now place
syphax
in
Telchin
as the appropriate genus.
Erythrocastnia
Houlbert
, with
syphax
its only species, is therefore a subjective synonym of
Telchin
Hübner
,
syn. nov.
The only
Trinidad
records we know are specimens in the Admiral Bourke collection (HEC) and the AME (ex coll. W.J. Kaye). There seems no reason to doubt the specimens’ authenticity, yet although W.J. Kaye put an identification label on Bourke’s in 1923 (det.
Castnia harmodius
Cr.
=
syphax
F.) he did not include it in
Kaye & Lamont (1927)
.
Material examined: ST. ANDREWS: 1ɗ, Cunapo, F. Birch (AME);
TRINIDAD
: 1Ψ,
Apr–May 1902
, Admiral E. Bourke collection (HEC).