Pseudopostega machaerias, (Meyrick) (Meyrick)

Stonis, Jonas R., Remeikis, Andrius, Solis, M. Alma & Karsholt, Ole, 2021, Diagnostics and updated checklist of Oriental Pseudopostega (Opostegidae) including the matrona species group with a new, extralimital species discovered in the Mediterranean, Zootaxa 4933 (3), pp. 341-360 : 344

The machaerias group

Externally, species are characterized by dark markings (a spot or fascia) on the dorsal margin of the forewing; pure white, indistinctive frontal tuft of piliform scales on the vertex of the head. In the male genitalia, the uncus is comprised of two wide, short or long lateral lobes; the gnathos is a large plate with a distinctive, wide, non-spiny caudal process; and the vinculum has a distinctive, long, apically slightly widened, rod-like juxta ( Fig. 1 ). In the female genitalia, apophyses are long; anal papillae with two rounded, closely set lobes or modified into a single, oval element ( Fig. 1 ); the signum is absent ( P. machaerias , P. zelopa ), weakly developed, indistinctive ( P. epactaea ), well developed, lamellar ( P. parvilineata ), or spiny ( Pseudopostega species 404).

From other groups of Oriental Pseudopostega , the machaerias group is distinguished by the combination of dorsal markings of the forewing, and gnathos with a large plate and distinctive, wide, non-spiny caudal process.

Distribution. Currently the group is comprised of four named and one unnamed species (see Introduction) distributed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Taiwan.

Remarks. Previously, P. zelopa was left unplaced in a species group ( Puplesis and Robinson 1999). However, upon on re-examination of males and females of P. zelopa , we newly attribute this species to the machaerias group based on shared characters, including the apically widenned juxta in the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pictorial diagnostic tool for identification of Oriental Pseudopostega species groups (Note: the morphological structures are drawn in different scales). * – except for P. similantis with an indistinctive dorsal spot; ** – formerly the nigrimaculella group; *** – Mediterranean P. matrona sp. nov., described below