Akbesia davidi (Oberthür, 1884), M

Ancajima, Georgette Paola & Duarte, Marcelo, 2023, Morphological variation of the epiphyses in some Ambulycini hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Smerinthinae), Zoologischer Anzeiger 304, pp. 1-9 : 3

Akbesia davidi (Oberthür, 1884) ( Figs. 2B and 4C ).

Length and width in male: 1.83 and 0.49 mm, respectively, covering 58.9% of the foretibia. Length and width in the female: 1.26 and 0.21 mm, respectively, covering 56.8% of the foretibia. Epiphyses lanceolate in both sexes. Lower lobe rounded. Invagination u-notched. Foretibiae length: 2.28 mm (Ƌ), 2.93 mm (♀).

Epiphyses are sexually dimorphic in the following features: i) epiphyses apically inserted at about two-sevenths of the foretibia length in male, two-fifths of the foretibia length in female; ii) upper lobe straight in male, concave in female; iii) invagination strongly accentuated in male, slightly accentuated in female, iv) comb (For details see Table 2).

Figures

Fig. 2. Proposed characters of the epiphyses of Ambulycini. (A) Shape: a. elongated, as in Trogolegnum pseudambulyx; b. lanceolate, as in Ambulyx pryeri; c. spoon-shaped, as in Orecta lycidas; d. bent inward, as in Batocnema coquerelii. (B) Insertion point on the foretibia: a. at one-third of the tibia, as in Adhemarius gannascus; b. at one-quarter of the tibia, as in O. lycidas; c. at two-fifths of the tibia, as shown in female Akbesia davidi; d. at two-sevenths of the tibia, as in Protambulyx strigilis. (C) Upper lobe: a. straight, as observed in Compsulyx cochereaui; b. concave, as in Ad. dariensis; c. bilobed, as in B. coquerelii; d. angulate, as in Ad. eurysthenes. (D) Lower lobe: a. truncated, as in T. pseudambulyx; b. rounded, as in Ad. eurysthenes. (E) Invagination shape: a. vnotched, as in P. strigilis; b. u-notched, as in Ak. davidi. (F) Invagination degree: a. slightly accentuated, as observed in P. strigilis; b. strongly accentuated, in Am. pryeri.

Fig. 4. Epiphysial morphology of some Ambulycini (anterolateral view). (A) Ambulyx pryeri Distant, 1887. (B) Protambulyx strigilis (Linnaeus, 1771). (C) Akbesia davidi (Oberthür, 1884). (D) Compsulyx cochereaui (Viette, 1971). (E) Batocnema coquerelii (Boisduval, [1875]). (F) Orecta lycidas (Boisduval, [1875]). (G) Trogolegnum pseudambulyx (Boisduval, [1875]). (H) Adhemarius dariensis (Rothschild and Jordan, 1916). (I) Adhemarius gannascus (Stoll, 1790). (J) Adhemarius eurysthenes (Felder & Felder, 1874). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.