Tetracis Guenée

Ferris, Clifford D. & Schmidt, Christian, 2010, Revision of the North American Genera Tetracis Guenée and Synonymization of Synaxis Hulst with Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae), Zootaxa 2347, pp. 1-36 : 4

Genus Tetracis Guenée

Guenée, A., [1858], in Boisduval, J. B. A. de & Guenée, A., Histoire naturelle des insectes. Species général des lépidoptères, Paris, vol. 9: 140.

Type species: Tetracis crocallata Guenée, [1858] .

Synaxis Hulst, 1896 , A classification of the Geometrina of North America, with descriptions of new genera and species. Transactions of the American Entomol. Society. 23:324, 377. Syn. nov. Type species: Tetracis pallulata, Hulst, 1887 .

Prionotetracis, Warren, W., 1894. Novitates Zoologicae. 1:461. Rev. syn.

Type species: Tetracis pallulata, Hulst, 1887 .

Diagnosis: Adults. Medium-sized (typical FWL: 16–26 mm) moths varying in color from white, yellow, ochreous, to dark gray, and chocolate brown. Male antenna nearly filiform (laminate, prismatic or serrate) or bipectinate; female antenna essentially filiform, densely setose ventrally. PM line present, but AM line may be absent; varying patterns of dark maculation may be present. Wing outer margins arcuate at vein M3. No patch of setae or comb on male third abdominal sternite. Male genitalia. Uncus tapered. Gnathos with spine-like projections arising from dorso-caudal margin. Apex of valve with or without a single pointed projection. Prominent median furca. Aedeagus with or without ring of spinules at posterior end at base of vesica; cornuti present, but vary widely with species. The male genitalia manifest three synapomorphies: gnathos with quadrate dorso-caudal margin; dorsal margin of gnathos with dorsally-projecting spines, usually in one or more pairs, but sometimes randomly spaced in individual specimens; anellus with median spinulose furca. Female genitalia. For all species, the ovipositor lobes are lightly setose, basally broad and taper to bluntly pointed tips. The colliculum is well-developed. The ductus seminalis originates at the top of the ductus bursae just below the colliculum. The ductus bursae and corpus bursae provide diagnostic features for species recognition. Length of ductus bursae variable with or without sclerotization. One signum (usually dentate) present in corpus bursae.