Saccharodite chrysonoe ( Kirkaldy, 1906 ), 1969

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 164-166

Saccharodite chrysonoe ( Kirkaldy, 1906)

Rhotana chrysonoe Kirkaldy, 1906: 435

Rhotana transversa Distant, 1907: 410 , new synonymy

Rhotana opalina Distant, 1907: 410 , new synonymy

Saccharodite opalina (Distant) Fennah, 1969: 69

Saccharodite transversa (Distant) Fennah, 1969: 69

Saccharodite chrysonoe (Kirkaldy) Fennah, 1969: 69

(Figs. 100–102, 322)

Redescription. Forewings 2.0 times longer than wide, length: male 3.4–4.2 mm (mean = 3.8, n = 46), female: 3.4– 4.3 mm (mean = 3.9, n = 15). Colour stramineous to light brown; variable orange to red marks; in lectotype frons above eyes and middle of pronotum faintly orange-red; scutellum, middle of metanotum, and middle of first three abdominal tergites orange-red; in other specimens colour varies from few (or no) traces of orange on frons and scutellum to most parts of body light orange to red, but with rostrum, subantennal processes, sides of pronotum, legs, and some parts of abdomen stramineous and with anterior parts of mesonotum light brown while posterior parts and scutellum are bright orange. Forewings glassy; very faintly infuscated around base of Ms1, Ms2, and along apical crossveins; also faintly infuscated patches in costal cells and at clavus tip; veins stramineous to light brown; often (e.g. in lectotype) hind margin around clavus tip, very tip of Cu, and two apical sections of costa orange; four brown spots on base of Sc+R. Hindwings colourless, but often (e.g. in lectotype) middle sections of M, Cu, and claval veins tinted with orange. In profile junction of vertex and face evenly rounded; rostrum reaching hind coxae; subantennal processes close to, but not connected to margins of facial carinae. Forewings with Sc+R fork at middle of wing; basal median cell broad, more than twice as wide as basal cell between Sc+R and M; a small triangle at base of Ms1. Hindwings with tip of R branched in about one third of the specimens examined. Male genitalia with pygofer narrow. Genital styles oval; proximal dorsal process short, distal dorsal process long. Apical part of aedeagus short, with a dorsal groove, at the tip usually a membranous lobe.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin name of a person. We consider it to be a noun used in apposition.

Type material. Lectotype ♀ of Rhotana chrysonoe (here designated) (forewing 3.9 mm, body 2.1 mm), AUS- TRALIA: QUEENSLAND; labels: 1) Cairns, Q./ Austr. 8, 1904 2) Decora / chrysonoe Kirk. (BPBM) .

Lectotype ♂ of Rhotana transversa (here designated) (fw. 3.6), AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, Kuranda, 1902, F.P. Dodd ( BMNH).

Lectotype ♂ of Rhotana opalina (here designated) (fw. 3.6), AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, 1902, F.P. Dodd ( BMNH).

Notes. Kirkaldy did not mention on how many specimens his description of Rhotana chrysonoe was based. His remark "base of abdomen sanguineous in fresh example" seems to indicate that several types were present, that is some of which were considered to be fresh. The type collection of BPBM contains one specimen labelled "Type of chrysonoe Kirk. ". However, the label was not written by Kirkaldy (when compared with other type labels), and Kirkaldy's description was quite clearly not based on that specimen. Although Kirkaldy's description is rather short, it disagrees in most aspects with that specimen (including the measurements). Medler (1987) indicates that such type labels on Kirkaldy's specimens were probably placed later on those specimens, possibly by Frederick Muir, when the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association collection was incorporated in BPBM and the type selections were not formalised by publication. The specimen belongs to a species of Rhotana which is described above as Rhotana mendax sp. nov. BPBM does not contain any other type specimens labelled " chrysonoe ". Mr. Gordon Nishida of BPBM kindly also checked the collection of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture which received most of the remaining Kirkaldy material but also did not find any specimens labelled Rhotana chrysonoe . On the other hand, the BPBM keeps two other specimens (one male and one female) labelled " Decora chrysonoe ". Although these labels are also later additions (the genus Decora was not described until 1910) it appears likely that these were either the type series of Kirkaldy or part of it. They agree well with Kirkaldy's description, especially the female which is here selected as lectotype. Both specimens were kept together on one pin with the label "Cairns, Queensland, Aug. 1904 ". The label also contains a red "K", indicating the specimen came from Kuranda (see Medler 1987), the type locality given by Kirkaldy (1906, p. 435).

Distant also did not state on how many specimens his descriptions of Rhotana transversa and Rhotana opalina were based. He gives " Queensland (F.P. Dodd, Brit. Mus.)" as data for both species. The British Museum, Natural History contains a number of specimens under R. transversa and R. opalina with that label, which all bear the additional label "1902-319". These are considered to represent the syntypes for both species. In both type series one specimen contained a type label, which however was a later addition (W.J. Knight, pers. comm.) and no type designation has been published. Unfortunately the two specimens with type labels were recently lost in the mail. However, they had been examined before that by one of us. The remaining specimens from the type series include 1 male each for Rhotana transversa and R. opalina and 2 additional females under R. transversa . The males are here selected as lectotypes.

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND: 1 ♂ (paralectotype of R. chrysonoe, BPBM ) , 2 ♀ (paralectotypes of R. transversa, BMNH ); Tulley Falls , 10. III.1956 , 10 ♂, light trap, J.L. Gressitt; Herberton, Evelyn Tableland , 300m, 11. III.1956 , 1 ♂, light trap, Gressitt (all BPBM); Tambourine Mts. , 18–25. V.1935, 1 ♀, R.E. Turner ; NEW SOUTH WALES: Casula, 11.XI.1958 , 1 ♀, by sweeping, N. Nikitin; Loddon River, nr. Bulli , 1.X.1959 , 1 ♀, by net sweeping on river banks, Nikitin; Brush, Mill. Allyn. R., 18.XII.1922 , 1 ♀, Nicholson (all BMNH); Colo Vale , 15. III.1957 , 1 ♂, W.W. Wirth ( USNM); Otford , 10.II.1962, 3.III.1962 , 5 ♂ 1 ♀, D.K. McAlpine; Timor Rock, Warrumbungle Range, mv Lamp , 26,27. III.1971 , 2 ♂ 1 ♀, D.K. McAlpine; Mooney Ck., Near Gosford , 6.XII.1978 , 1 ♂; Larre Cove, 23.X.1958, 1 ♂, M.I. Nikitin; Northmead , 26.I.1963 , 1 ♂, MV lamp, D.K. McAlpine; Lister pk., Upper Allyn , 11.XII.1969 , 1 ♂, J.J. Peters (all AMS); Badja State Forest , 40 km ENE of Cooma, 13.I.1981 , 1 ♂, mv lamp, G. R. Brown and M.J. Fletcher ; 20 miles E of Rylstone, 3.IV.1976 , 1 ♀, MV lamp, M.J. Fletcher; Royal Nat. Park , 19.II.1979 , 1 ♂, M.J. Fletcher; Rydalmere , 13.X.1971 , 1 ♂, mv lamp; Minnamurra Falls , 10.II.1962 , 1 ♂, C.D. Chadwick; Dorrigo Nat. Park , 9. III.1981 , 1 ♂, M.J. Fletcher and G. R. Brown; Rainforest, Big Scrub Flora Res. , Whian Whian State For. , 20 km N of Lismore, 11. III.1981 , 1 ♂, M.J. Fletcher, G. R. Brown and I. Clements; Pearl Beach, near Woy Woy , 5,6. X.1973, 17.I.1977, 16–18.XII.1977, 30.X.1979 , 5 ♂ 1 ♀, MV lamp, M.J. Fletcher; Towler's Bay , W. Pittwater, 13.XII.1970, 26–28.II.1972 , 2 ♂, M.J. Fletcher; Jamberoo, nr. Kiama , 16.I.1971 , 1 ♂, M.J. Fletcher (all ASCU) ; TASMANIA: 1 ♀, F. Carpenter ( IRSNB); Katoomba , 6.XII.1959, 22.XII.1960 , 2,20. I.1961, 24.X.1961, 3, 2.XI.1961, 6,7,13,16. XI.1962, 5.XII.1962, 13.XI.1963, 9 ♂ 3 ♀ 3 sex unknown, G.H. Hardy ( AMS) .

Distribution. Australia (Queensland to Tasmania).

Diagnosis. Saccharodite chrysonoe resembles closely Sa. casca Fennah from New Caledonia. It can be separated from that species by the more rounded apex of the male aedeagus which has a deep, dorsal groove. In addition, most specimens of Sa. chrysonoe can be easily recognized by the orange to red coloration of the frons, of the ventral parts of the thorax, and of several forewing veins. The coloration of Sa. chrysonoe is variable, explaining the differences in the descriptions for Rhotana chrysonoe , R. transversa , and R. opalina .