Integrative revision of the Iberian species of Coscinia Hübner, [1819] sensu lato and Spiris Hübner, [1819], (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae)
Author
Macià, Ramon
Author
Mally, Richard
Author
Ylla, Josep
Author
Gastón, Javier
Author
Huertas, Manuel
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-06-14
4615
3
401
449
journal article
26487
10.11646/zootaxa.4615.3.1
72c56097-337c-42fa-90ee-2da90529b2d2
1175-5326
3246048
4D816AA2-2AEA-470F-A79D-45452CFAE9F2
Subtribe
Callimorphina Walker
, [1865]
Recent authors, such as
Dacosta & Weller (2005)
,
Dubatolov (2006)
,
Witt & Ronkay (2011)
,
Vives Moreno (2014)
and
Zenker
et al.
(2016)
, include
Coscinia
and
Spiris
in the subtribe
Callimorphina Walker
, [1865]. However, there are distinct morphological traits, explained below, which perhaps indicate that these genera do not belong in
Callimorphina
but in another subtribe. This is something that requires a more extensive and detailed study, and is not discussed here. The authors are fully aware that the morphological features described here only apply to a subset of
Callimorphina
, and that they do not represent a sound diagnosis for the whole subtribe; however, they are valid for the Iberian and Western Europe species.
Morphological differences within the genus
Coscinia
have led the authors to create the genus
Sagarriella
Macià, Mally, Ylla, Gastón & Huertas
gen. nov.
and to restore the genus
Lerautia
stat. rev.
Based on their morphological characteristics,
Sagarriella
and
Lerautia
are assigned to the subtribe
Callimorphina
along with
Coscinia
and
Spiris
. Although we have not been able to study the larval stages of
Lerautia
,
given its great similarity in the rest of studied characters, we assume that larval characteristics should not differ significantly.
Diagnosis. Imago.
Imagines of
Coscinia
,
Spiris
, Sagarriella
and
Lerautia
have elongated and narrow forewings, and antennae that are bipectinate in males and filiform in females. Typical members of
Callimorphina
have a broader wing shape, and the antennae are filiform in both sexes. The male genitalia of
Callimorphina
have a sacculus with a prominent process, always separated from the valve to form a sort of bilobed valve. The male genitalia of
Coscinia
,
Spiris
, Sagarriella
and
Lerautia
lack a sacculus with similar processes, but always have a characteristic fold in the central part of the valve, which is absent in
Callimorphina
. The tip of the uncus in
Coscinia
,
Spiris
, Sagarriella
and
Lerautia
is usually tubular or slightly pointed, or spatulate; in
Callimorphina
, the uncus widens subapically and resembles the shape of a bird´s beak.
Larva.
The larvae of
Coscinia
,
Spiris
and
Sagarriella
(
Lerautia
, larva not studied) have four to five P setae (P = posterior) in the superior area of each hemisphere epicranium of the head capsule. Setae P1 and P2 are common in most
Lepidoptera
larvae, but the other three seem to be exclusive to these genera. There is no reference to these setae in
Gerasimov (1935)
,
Hinton (1946)
or
Beck (1960)
, but they are mentioned in Garcia-Barros (1992) for
Sagarriella romei
.
These setae are not present in the species of the subtribe
Callimorphina
, in which only P1 and P2 are present in
Tyria jacobeae
(
Linnaeus, 1758
)
and
U. pulchella
. In
Cymbalophora pudica
(
Esper, 1785
)
,
Callimorpha dominula
(
Linnaeus, 1758
) and
Euplagia quadripunctaria
(
Poda, 1761
), these setae are not distinguished. The immature stages of
Coscinia
,
Spiris
and
Sagarriella
(
Lerautia
, larva not studied) are very similar, and specific identification relies on breeding them to the adult stage. So, when breeding larvae from eggs, the best diagnostic characters for species distinction are the shape of the nails of the thoracic legs and abdominal prolegs and the chaetotaxy of the ocellar zone, where setae O1 and O2 are always in the same place, whereas seta O3 can approach more or less setae O1 or O2 depending on the species. Larva cylindrical and dark, with a white or orange dorsal line; verrucae D1, D2, SD1, L1, L2 and L3, with short, black and white setae.
Pupa.
Straight or slightly curved; fusion of the tips of the pterothecae and the tips of the antennae protruding or not; hair coverage of variable length; there are circular depressions in the abdomen and groups of setae of different length that coincide with the verruca of the larva; posterior end of pupa rounded, cremaster absent in
Coscinia
,
Spiris
and
Sagarriella
, (
Lerautia
, pupa not studied) present in
Callimorphina
except
T. jacobeae
.