Psychocampa Grote & Robinson, 1867

Laurent, Ryan A. St & Kawahara, Akito Y., 2019, Reclassification of the Sack-bearer Moths (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae), ZooKeys 815, pp. 1-114 : 28-29

Psychocampa Grote & Robinson, 1867 Figs 30, 66, 140, 141, 166

Type species.

Psychocampa concolor Grote & Robinson, 1867.

Diagnosis.

Externally Psychocampa display typical cicinnine shape and large size, and always lack hyaline patches, however it is difficult to generalize about this relatively large genus beyond that. Despite external variability across the genus, Psychocampa genitalia are quite homogenous, and therefore species belonging to this genus are easily recognizable by their genitalia, which are dramatically distinct and simple in structure in comparison with all other Cicinninae genera (except for the sister genus Biterolfa , see below).

Apomorphies.

Largely as for Biterolfa but gnathos arms more gradually narrowed, never with teeth or dorsal apical protrusions (in addition to the tapering tip).

Remarks.

This is one of the largest Mimallonidae genera in terms of number of species, particularly after the present checklist and the work of St Laurent et al. (2018a) which cumulatively transferred many species from Cicinnus to Psychocampa based on the exceptionally homogenous and readily diagnostic genitalia of the latter genus. As stated above, it is difficult to diagnose Psychocampa based on external morphology because there are several clear species-groups within the genus which may eventually prove to be more appropriately placed in new genera that can more succinctly be unified by external morphology (though genitalia morphology is so consistent across all of these groups that additional atomization of Psychocampa into several genera may prove to be unwarranted). Genitalia morphology is largely homogenous across all Psychocampini , not only in Psychocampa , and this is clearly evident in comparing the genitalia of sister genera Psychocampa and Biterolfa , see Figs 29 and 30. However, external maculation and convincing phylogenetic results of St Laurent et al. (2018a) placing Biterolfa as sister to the larger clade of Psychocampa , which was intentionally sampled to include most of the clear species-groups of the genus, supports their valid separation as two distinct genera. Further ongoing molecular phylogenetics which continues to sample Psychocampini more densely also continues to support the separation of these two genera. Our morphological phylogenetic results here fully support the transfer of various species from Cicinnus to Psychocampa , as well as the close relationship between Psychocampa and Biterolfa , though with our increased taxon sampling, the validity of Biterolfa is called into question in a morphology-only context because it is nested within Psychocampa in unconstrained ML and parsimony morphological phylogenetic analyses. Despite this, we maintain Biterolfa and Psychocampa as valid separate genera considering the molecular results of St Laurent et al. (2018a) and the previously mentioned ongoing molecular work.