Ceramidiodes obscurus Butler 1877

Ceramidiodes obscurus (Butler)

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Ceramidia obscura Butler, 1877:x, 40, pl. 16: fig. 5.—Kirby, 1892:158.—Hampson, 1898:395, 396— Zerny, 1912:115 — Draudt, [1916]a:133, pl. 20: fig. g [2]; [19l6]b:133, pl. 20: fig. g [2].

Ceramidia mathani Rothschild. 1912:153.—Draudt, [1916]a: 133: [1916]b:133. [New synonymy]

Ceramidiodes mathani.—Hampson. 1914:255, fig. 36.—Draudt. 19l7a:207; I917b:207.

Ceramidiodes obscurus being the sole species in the genus is of course easily distinguished from Ceramidia and Antichloris by the generic characters given in the key and in the description above. Ceramidia phemonoides and Ceramidia fumipennis, the species it most closely resembles in habitus, are easily distinguished from it by having the ventral surface of the abdomen divided through the middle by a median band of fuscous.

MALE (Figures 7, 8).—Head with occipital area dark fuscous with a metallic blue-green sheen, frons nearly entirely white. Palpi dark fuscous with white on outer surface of basal segment, neck with an eversible shallow pocket covered with red scales opposite each eye. Thorax foscous with tegula lightly scaled with metallic blue-green on base and patagia heavily scaled with this color. Legs fuscous except for the white coxae of all three pairs of legs. Each tympanic hood large and entirely fuscous in color. Abdomen above fuscous with bronze green sheen and with ventral surface white from the base through most of seventh segment.

Wings above fuscous. Forewing with bronze green along base of costa and along each side of base of anal vein. Hind wing above with silvery white of coastal area extensive, extending from costal margin clear through the cell and to the outer margin except for a small amount of fuscous on outer margin opposite end of cell. Forewing below fuscous in color with a narrow streak of androconial scales through the middle one-third of costal margin and with pale gray or white on base covering one-half or more of wing and with a bronze green sheen on subapical part of wing. Hind wing below fuscous with metallic bronze green sheen on base, sometimes with a large white area below cell and between there and hind margin of wing.

Length of forewing, 16.5–17 mm (average 16.90 mm).

Male genitalia as illustrated by Figure 77 (drawn from preparation of the lectotype of C. mathani, a junior synonym of C. obscurus and since this is the sole included species

Antichloris Hübner, 1818:9, 24.—Butler, 1876:413, 433, pl. 29: fig. 5.—Möschler, 1878:639–640.—Druce, 1884:68.—Kirby, 1892:158–159.—Dognin, 1894:72, 82, pl. 8: fig. 2.—Hampson, 1898:399–401.—Klages, 1906:548–549.—Rothschild, 1912:154– 155.—Zerny, 1912:116.—Draudt, [1916]a:136–137; [1916]b: 136–137.—Kaye and Lamont, 1927:9.—Hambleton and Forbes, 1935:219.—Hemming, 1937:154.

Illipula Walker, 1854:237.—Druce, 1883:380.—Kirby, 1892: 157.—Hampson, 1898:399 [as a synonym of Antichloris],— Zerny, 1912:116 [as a synonym of Antichloris].

Copaena Herrich-Schäffer, 1855: cover, pl. [40]: fig. 260. [New synonymy.]

Eriphia Herrich-Schäffer, 1856:16, 17.—Hampson, 1898:399 [as a synonym of Antichloris].—Zerny, 1912:116 [as a synonym of Antichloris].

Ceramidia.—Dognin, 1891:clv [in part]; 1894:72, 82 [in part]; Hampson, 1898:395–398 [in part]; 1901:172 [in part].—Druce, 1905:462.—Dognin, 1912:122—Rothschild, 1912:152, 153 [in part].—Zerny, 1912:115 [in part].—Hampson, 1914: 240, 248–253 [in part]; 1915, pl. 13.—Draudt, [1916]a:134, 135, pl. 20 [in part]; [1916]b:134, 135, pl. 20 [in part]; 1917a:207 [in part]; 1917b:207 [in part]; [1919]a, pls. 28, 29 [in part]; [1919]b, pls. 28, 29 [in part].—Zerny, 1931a:18, 27 [in part].—Fleming, 1950:212, 216.—Forster, 1950:62 — Beebe and Fleming, 1951:246.

Type-species: Zygaena eriphia Fabricius. Type by subsequent designation by Kirby, 1892. Hübner included in this genus A. eriphia (Fabricius), his new species A. phemone (later synonymized by Butler to A. eriphia) (1876:413), and A. caca.

In habitus Antichloris is easily distinguished from the related genera Ceramidia and Ceramidiodes by the color pattern of the abdominal sterna and by characters in the male and female genitalia. In Antichloris only the basal sterna of the abdominal segments are entirely white (Figures 8, 10, 12), with at least large white spots in the middle of these sterna (Figures 28, 30, 32, 34) (the Caca species group), or this area is fuscous and there are several pairs of white spots on the basal segments near the spiracular lines (the Eriphia species group).

Male genitalia (Figures 78–82, 92–102) with uncus completely divided, forming two long entirely separate arms, each spatulate at tip. Behind each uncal arm is a shorter pseuduncus arising from tegumen. Saccus in ventral view about as broad as long, not projected as far posteriorly as in Ceramidia, and with posterior margin nearly straight, sometimes slightly concave and sometimes slightly convex. Aedeagus short and evenly and strongly bent near middle with a long, single dorsal needle-like projection from posterior end. Valva not at all slender, broad through basal one-half or more, and base with a rounded outer margin (Caca group) or with this margin produced forming a broad lower posterior angle (Eriphia group). Valva with a long apical finger-like projection greatly curved downward or inward and with a long fleshy and hairy lobe on outer face just before apex. Valva lacking the pulvinus found in Ceramidiodes.

Female genitalia (Figures 86, 87, 89, 104, 105) with anterior genital plate formed into a broad, bulging lipped lobe, with a large triangular lobe on each side along posterior margin of seventh sternum and with a shallow cupule or lateroventral depression just dorsal of each of these lobes. Posterior genital plate absent. Ductus bursae near ostium bursae forming two subtriangular plates, one dorsal and the other ventral. Ductus bursae either not sclerotized at all (except as described above), sometimes weakly sclerotized, and sometimes with a large sclerotized element along its dorsal surface for its entire length.

SYNONYMICAL