Horama panthalon panthalon

Horama panthalon panthalon (Fabricius)

Zygaena panthalon Fabricius, 1793:405.

Horama panthalon.—Dewitz, 1877:94.—Kirby, 1879:19.—Möschler, 1890:113—Saalmüller in Möschler, 1890:349.—Gundlach, 1891:153.—Kirby, 1892:131.—Hampson, 1898:417, pl. 15: fig. 9.—Draudt in Seitz, 1916:143, pl. 21: row h.— Wolcott, 1923[1924]: 157—Forbes, 1930:25, pl. 2: fig. 4.—Forbes, 1931:341—Wolcott, 1936:413; 1941:125; [1951]:575.

Horama pantalon [sic].—Zerny, 1912:121.

†Horamia [sic] pretus [not Cramer, 1777], Walker, 1856:1632 [in part]. [Varieties listed as beta, gamma, and delta are misidentified.]

Mastigocera tibialis Butler, 1876:373. [Type-locality: Haiti, male holotype in BM(NH).]

Drucea tibialis— Kirby, 1892:130.

Horama serena Schaus, 1924:12. [Type-locality: Canal Zone, Panama, male holotype in NMNH. New synonymy.]

Horama stoneri Lindsey, 1926:34. [Type-locality: Antigua, female holotype in NMNH. New synonymy.]

MALE (Plate 1: figures 3, 5).—Head black with bluish tinge. Frons with central black stripe, lateral ochreous-yellow spots and one ochreous-yellow spot between antennae. Palpi yellow, upturned not reaching vertex; first segment rough, third segment short and smooth. Antennae black, apices yellow, pectinate becoming serrate at tips. Patagia bluish black with creamish-white spots laterally and two confluent spots in the center. Tegulae bluish black with central yellow stripe. Thoracic disc bluish black with four distinct ochreous-yellow spots. Pectus bluish black with yellow patches beneath each wing and at base of patagia; white spots above each coxa, the prothoracic spot being smaller than posterior spots. Abdomen, banded, anterior margin bluish black, hind margin, ochreous yellow; first tergite, bulbous laterally, center with anterior white patch separated by bluish black line from posterior, ochreous-yellow hind margin; first sternite with white band visible dorsally on second tergite. Legs, variously colored with ochreous yellow and bluish black; coxae, usually bluish black with ochreous-yellow patch; trochanters and femora, usually bluish black; tibiae and tarsi of fore and midlegs yellow, occasionally with black scaling at extremities on tibiae; hind tibiae, bluish black with basal yellow band and black, hirsute band between spurs; hind tarsi, ochreous yellow. Forewing dark brown, white spot at humeral angle; hind wing pale yellow on basal half, buff along costa, apex with dark brown band widest at costa and tapering irregularly to tornus. Underside: both wings light brown to fulvous with basal area of hindwing ochreous yellow. Venation (Figure 24a) shows some variation (Figures 24b,c). Occasionally R2 does not anastomose with stalk of R3–5 to form accessory cell. Occasionally Cu1 + Cu2 completely united or fork of Cu2 extremely weak. Alar expanse 32–35 mm.

MALE GENITALIA (Figures 3a,b).—Strongly sclerotized with hoodlike uncus, wide at base with concave, ovoid sclerites ( = gnathos) laterally. Valva with two processes, the dorsal club-shaped, sclerotized, with inner surface rough; the ventral membranous with scattered setae. Shape of the dorsal club varies slightly, apex sometimes rounder or narrowly truncate. Saccus short. Diaphragma around aedeagus occasionally sclerotized at point of attachment. Ventral anellar plate (= juxta) a simple, domelike process between the valvae.

FEMALE (Plate 1: figure 4).—Similar to male. Alar expanse 31–35 mm.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figure 15).—Lamella post-vaginalis a broad, medial papilla. Lamella antevaginalis a smaller papilla with ostium opening at apex. Ductus bursae wholly sclerotized, distal end sharply bent, followed by a series of short, dentate spines to where ductus seminalis enters; bursae copulatrix with a single accessory bursa and signa consisting of a row of heavy, inwardly directed spines, additional, irregular spines scattered to one side. Distal end of bursa with a sculptured granular appearance from small sclerotized dots.

TYPE.—According to Hampson (1898) and Zimsen (1964), two syntypes of Zygaena panthalon Fabricius are in the Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.

TYPE-LOCALITY.—West Indies.

HOST PLANTS.—None recorded. Adults have been collected resting on Waltheria indica L. [Sterculiaceae]. Common name, “malvavisco” (Wolcott, 1951).

DISTRIBUTION (Map 1).—Throughout the Antilles from Cuba in the west to the isles of St. Eustatius and St. Maarten in the east; also in Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama.