Elymiotis, WALKER, 1857

12. ELYMIOTIS WALKER, 1857 View in CoL

Elymiotis Walker, 1857 . List Lep. Het. Br. Mus. 11: 609. Type species: Elymiotis notodontoides Walker 1857 . ibid.: 609.

Adults. ( Figure 1L View FIGURE 1 , 10H View FIGURE 10 ) Head: male and female antennae simple filiform; antennal tufts very short; third segment of labial palpi short; ocelli reduced. Thorax: prothoracic leg scent pocket present on femur; tarsal claws bifid. Wings: males 35 to 57 mm, females 42 to 52 mm; forewing ground color whitish and various shades of brown, with thin, wavy transverse lines of black or brown; a short, silvery, Y-shaped dash beyond discal cell; accessory cell present; hindwing with Sc-Rs stalked. Abdomen: bifid caudal tuft of spatulate scales. Male terminalia ( Figure 6D View FIGURE 6 ): eighth tergite with midplate; eighth sternite with m-shaped antecosta. Valvae with SSO well-developed (reduced in E. notodontoides ); costa a sclerotized rod extending nearly to apex. Uncus large, spear-shaped, bearing a pair of small lateral processes below apex; socii long and thin with mushroom-shaped or wishbone-shape apices; valval costa bearing a knob near midpoint; costulae usually absent (in E. morana Schaus the processes of the costulae are horn-like). Juxta small and deeply concave. Aedeagus callosum foot-like, long, and thin. Vesica with patch of spines, or scattered setae ( E. complicata (Dognin)) or with very small deciduous cornuti ( E. notodontoides ). Female terminalia ( Figure 9D–F View FIGURE 9 ): eighth tergite usually with lateral prominences; eighth sternite usually with paired midventral prominences; papillae anales weakly to moderately sclerotized; anterior and posterior apophyses long; ostium bursae m-shaped; ductus bursae bent and highly sclerotized; corpus bursae membranous and striated; 1 or 2 signum.

Diagnosis. The forewing has a silver triangle or Y-shape over the accessory cell in most species. Males have a circular patch of non-deciduous spines before the vesica terminates, and the phallus is usually thin. The socii are usually bulbous and very setose but we note that the male genitalia differ substantially between the type species E. notodontoides and others that we examined with particularly narrow valvae, small SSO, and extremely robust socii in the type species (the others are more similar to Elasmia for example). Female genitalia have a highly bent and sclerotized ductus bursae, as well as a striated corpus bursae.

Comments. When dissecting the prothoracic male leg, a large number of cotton-like scales were released. In a specimen of E. morana , a large elliptical area on the third sternite without scales was found, which may be a scent pocket. Larval host plants include Inga ( Fabaceae ), Pachira ( Bombacaceae ) and different genera of Malpighiaceae (ACG database) such as Malpighia glabra which is eaten in Texas ( Miller et al. 2021).

Distribution. From USA (Texas) to Brazil.

Species included (13).

Elymiotis alata (Druce, 1890)

Elymiotis audax (Druce, 1901)

Elymiotis boisil Schaus, 1928

Elymiotis complicata (Dognin, 1909)

Elymiotis corana Schaus, 1928

Elymiotis drucei (Schaus, 1901)

Elymiotis glaucula Draudt, 1932

Elymiotis longara (Stoll, 1790)

Elymiotis lupicina Schaus, 1928

Elymiotis morana Schaus, 1928

Elymiotis notodontoides Walker, 1857 *

Elymiotis plechelm Schaus, 1924

Elymiotis purpurascens (Butler, 1877)