NovitatesAMERICAN MUSEUM PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2969, 29 pp., 52 figs. April 25, 1990 A Revision of the Moth Genus Phyle (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) FREDERICK H. RINDGE' CONTENTS Abstract ......................... 2 Introduction ......................... 2 Acknowledgments and Abbreviations ....... .................. 2 Materials and Methods ......................... 3 Characters ......................... 3 Genus Phyle Herrich-Schiiffer ......................... 4 Key to Males ......................... 8 Group 1 .............................. 10 Phyle glauca Herbulot ......................... 10 Phyle aspilotos, new species ......................... 11 Phyle transglauca, new species ......................... 11 Phyle infusca, new species ......................... 14 Phyle herbuloti, new species ......................... 14 Group 2 ......................... 15 Phyle schausaria (H. Edwards) ......................... 17 Phyle arcuosaria Herrich-Schiiffer ......................... 18 Phyle antioquia, new species ......................... 18 Phyle subfulva Herbulot ......................... 19 Phyle albifimbria, new species ......................... 21 Phyle orthogonia, new species ......................... 23 Phyle cartago, new species ......................... 23 Phyle neblina, new species ......................... 25 Phyle versatile, new species ......................... 26 References ......................... 29 1 George Willett Curator, Department of Entomology, American Museum of Natural History. Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 1990 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $3.75 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2969 ABSTRACT The present paper is the first revision of the saccus, and the base ofthe valve having long, slen- genus Phyle. The moths are recognized by the up- der, hairlike scales. per and lower surfaces of the wings being a uni- Fourteen species are described and illustrated. colorous green, a color that is seldom found in Of these, the following are described as new: al- members ofthe Ennominae. Within that subfam- bifimbria, antioquia, aspilotos, cartago, herbuloti, ily, the genus is placed in the Semiothisini. In infusca, neblina, orthogonia, transglauca, and ver- addition to the wing color, the males have the satile. Mecoceras schausaria H. Edwards (1884) is additional autapomorphic characters: a large, thick transferred from the Oenochrominae and placed group of scales arising from the hind tarsi; nu- in Phyle as a new combination. merous, very long, slender hairlike scales on the The members of the genus occur from southern ventral surface of the abdomen; the genitalia with Mexico, through Central America, to Venezuela both the posterodorsal surface ofthe tegumen and and the Guianas, south in the Andes Mountains each elongate costal lobe with their apex and pos- to Bolivia, and east to northern Argentina and terodorsal surface having large, thickly set groups southeastern Brazil. No specimens have been seen of long, curved, thick hairlike scales; and with a from the Antilles, the Amazon Basin, northeastern large, inflatable sac on each side attached to the Brazil, or Chile. INTRODUCTION It all appeared so simple at first. At hand genera; these may not prove to be so striking was an easily recognized genus ofmoths that when other Neotropical genera in this tribe had had only one specific name since 1855. are studied and revised. Herbulot added two more names in 1982. Almost a century ago, Druce wrote about The object was to curate the collection, ap- the considerable variation that is to be found plying the two recently proposed names to in the maculation and coloring ofthe under- the appropriate species. Thus began the study surface ofthe wings. He concluded that "The that lead to the present paper. specimens before me clearly show that these Even the placement of Phyle into the cor- forms belong to one species [arcuosaria], al- rect subfamily has not been without difficul- though the two extremes look very distinct" ties. Probably because of the unicolorous (Druce, 1892: 93). Druce's observations were green upper and lower surfaces of the wings, correct; his conclusion was wrong. early workers placed the genus in either the Geometrinae (as almost all of the included species have green wings) or in what is now ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND ABBREVIATIONS the Oenochrominae (which has a few Neo- I acknowledge with thanks the cooperation tropical green groups). But the structures of and aid ofthe following colleagues who have the moths precluded their being in either of permitted me to study types and specimens these subfamilies; the earliest placement into in their charge: D. C. Ferguson for the United the Ennominae of which I am aware was by States National Museum ofNatural History, Fletcher (1979). Smithsonian Institution (USNM); J. E. Raw- As my study progressed it became evident lins for the Carnegie Museum ofNatural His- that this genus belongs in the Semiothisini, tory (CMNH); J. K. Liebherr for Cornell a very large and worldwide group as now de- University (CU); C. V. Covell, Jr., for the fined (Forbes, 1948: 36; McGuffin, 1972:1 1). University of Louisville, Louisville, Ken- As there are no published tribal or generic tucky; J. B. Sullivan of Beaufort, North Car- revisions of Neotropical Semiothisini (and olina (JBS); and C. Herbulot ofParis, France. very few for North America), comparisons I am particularly grateful to the last-named had to be made with the species from the person for aid in checking the identification United States and Canada to make this tribal of the two species he named in this genus. placement. There are a number ofcharacters To J. S. Miller, of the American Museum of that separate Phyle from the North American Natural History (AMNH), who helped locate 1990 RINDGE: MOTH GENUS PHYLE 3 specimens in several collections for this study, taxa. In addition, he was kind enough to check a similar expression ofthanks. Helpful com- my determinations by the use ofa draft copy ments on the manuscript were received from of the key to the males. C. V. Covell, Jr., R. S. Peigler, and J. B. Sul- All the specimens that are illustrated are livan. from the AMNH unless otherwise specified. Every specimen studied bears either one of my type labels or a determination label. MATERIAS AND METHODS A study of the genitalic structures is basic to most revisionary studies ofLepidoptera; I CHARACTERS have found this to be an absolute necessity Study and measurements ofthe male hind in working with the New World Geometri- tibia show that two kinds are present; this dae. Accordingly, a considerable number of does not hold for the females. One is shorter dissections were made from specimens ofboth and has a single hair pencil; the length varies sexes of Phyle that had different maculation from 5.4 to 8.0 mm. The second kind is long- and coloring on the undersurface ofthe wings, er, being between 8.9 and 11.0 mm, and has and from as many different localities as pos- a second, apical hair pencil on the outer sur- sible. At first glance, the preparations were face. This is an easy way to subdivide the dishearteningly similar, as obvious differ- genus into two groups, as the legs can be mea- ences were not usually present. A more crit- sured on pinned specimens. ical examination showed that the male ter- Associated with the tibial grouping is the minalia did indeed have certain structures length ofthe process ofthe anellus, measured that proved to be of specific value; unfortu- from its junction with the inner portion of nately, the female structures are basically so the saccus to its apex, and the spatial rela- similar that I have not been able to point out tionship ofthe tip ofthe process to the trans- specific characters for the members of this tilla. Males with the shorter tibia have a sex. As a result, a key to the males is provided shorter anellus that does not extend posteriad that is based on a number of different char- to the transtilla; those with longer tibia have acters; females must be identified primarily a longer process that reaches the transtilla or by association with the appropriate males. extends posteriorly over it. The male structures for each species are fig- The process ofthe anellus is usually straight, ured, but only two female genitalia are illus- but it may be variably curved or slightly trated. S-shaped; its conformation is of specific val- The basic work was done on specimens in ue. the collection of the AMNH. To make the The abdomens of some males may have a paper more complete, moths were sent to me ventrolateral inflatable pair of tufts near the on loan from a number of other institutions end of AS (figs. 21, 22); tufts are absent in and individuals, as noted above. A total of the "short" group but present in the other 435 adults (2716, 1642), 175 genitalic dissec- species. The basal portion and setae of these tions (1378, 389), and 11 slide mounts (88, tufts vary from small and obscure to large 32) of antennae and legs were studied. and prominent, bearing hairlike scales up to Of the four previously described species 2 mm long that can be seen without dissec- now assigned to the genus, I have studied the tion. Two types of scaling may be present in holotype of only one (schausaria). The type these tufts; either hairlike scales only, or a specimen of arcuosaria, which is the type mixture ofhairlike with a smaller number of species of Phyle, is probably lost, but it was flattened scales. It is often helpful to try to illustrated in color when described. Because exsert the tufts with a fine needled syringe ofits type locality and certain features ofcol- that is normally used to inflate the vesica, or and maculation, there is no doubt as to and also to remove the abdominal scaling what population this name applies. Herbu- around each tuft. lot's descriptions and accompanying illustra- The same technique can be used to help tions of both the adults and male genitalia inflate the large sacs that are present at the leave little doubt as to the identity ofhis two bases of the saccus and valves.