Bardaxima, WALKER, 1858

4. BARDAXIMA WALKER, 1858 View in CoL

Bardaxima Walker, 1858 . List Lep. Het. Br. Mus. 14:1349. Type species: Bardaxima lucilinea Walker, 1858 . ibid.:1349.

Adults. ( Figure 1D View FIGURE 1 , 10C View FIGURE 10 ) Head: antennae of male and female filiform; antennal tufts present; third segment of labial palpus very long in both sexes (½ or more the length of the second); ocelli present. Thorax: male prothoracic leg with membranous area and scent scales associated but lacks defined pocket (absent in some species); tarsal claws bifid; long single frenulum in males and two bristles in females. Wings: males 44 to 60 mm, females 58 to 70 mm; forewing broad and squared; accessory cell present; hindwing with Sc-Rs stalked. Wing pattern brown, fuscous, or gray. Male terminalia ( Figure 5E, F View FIGURE 5 ): eighth tergite with well-developed midplate; eighth sternite with m-shaped antecosta, valve with small SSO, but pleats well-developed; sclerotized costa extending nearly to apex. Uncus base v-shaped, apex bifid; costulae absent; juxta flat and triangular. Aedeagus with callosum present and footlike or Y shaped, curved with lateral projections at tip; vesica with patches of short spines. Female terminalia ( Figure 9B View FIGURE 9 ): Papillae anales long and membranous; posterior apophyses long; eighth tergite with lateral prominences; anterior apophyses variable in length. Eighth sternite with lateral and midlateral prominences, often elaborate, ostium bursae wide. Ductus bursae large, ductus seminalis arising from dorsal prominence of ductus bursae. Corpus bursae membranous with an indented patch of spinules.

Diagnosis. Most of the species have a brown, fuscous or gray wing pattern, with a white dash on the discal cell. The uncus of this genus is distinctly bifid with a short socii curve sharply towards the uncus. Females with large papillae anales, prominent sinus vaginalis and tubular ductus bursae.

Comments. The genus was revised by Becker (2021a). Caterpillars of the genus have been reared on Byrsonima crassifolia , Tetrapterys styloptera , Heteropterys laurifolia , and Heteropterys macrostachya ( Malpighiaceae ) (ACG database).

Distribution. From Guatemala to Southern Brazil.

Species included (12).

Bardaxima brauni (Schaus, 1928)

Bardaxima brewsteri (Schaus, 1928)

Bardaxima dissona Draudt, 1932

Bardaxima donatian (Schaus, 1928)

Bardaxima fulgurifera (Walker, 1869)

Bardaxima ionia (Druce, 1900)

Bardaxima lucilinea Walker, 1858 *

Bardaxima marcida (Felder, 1874)

Bardaxima procne (Schaus, 1892)

Bardaxima sambana (Druce, 1895)

Bardaxima subrutila (Dognin, 1908)

Bardaxima terminalba Jones, 1908