Tarache Hübner, [1823]

Lafontaine, Donald & Poole, Robert, 2010, Review of the New World genera of the subfamily Acontiinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 137-160 : 141-147

Tarache Hübner, [1823]

Figs 5–9, 23–30, 40–43

The genus Tarache contains 46 species, the majority of the species previously assigned to Acontia in the New World. Th e genus is heterogeneous in morphology, but can be arranged in three relatively well-defined and more homogeneous species-groups, and two of these can be divided further into subgroups. It may be desirable at some point in the future to subdivide the genus, but overlap in the presence of diagnostic character states among the species groups has encouraged us to adopt a larger definition of the genus. Included in Tarache are species previously placed in Therasea and Hemispragueia . Male genitalia (Figs 23–30). Valves usually bilaterally asymmetrical, often markedly so; vesica with a dense rasp-like patch or patches of short spines at or near apex of vesica or on a diverticulum. Female genitalia (Figs 40–43). Inner surface of corpus with patches of spines 2–4 × as long as wide; appendix bursae sclerotized, most frequently forming a posterior lobe of corpus bursae but wrapping around and partially or completely fused to right side of corpus bursae in T. aprica group and in T. augustipennis and T. cora , so that ductus seminalis arises at or near anterior end of corpus bursae.

Food plants. The food plants are recorded for T. aprica ( Althaea rosea Cav. ), T. delecta ( Hibiscus moschuetos L.), T. tetragona ( Malvaviscus arboreus Cav. and Herssantia crispa (L.) Brizicky) all in the family Malvaceae .

Tarache aprica species-group. This species-group contains the type species of Tarache ( T. aprica ) and 22 other species ( Tarache abdominalis , T. apela , T. ardoris , T. assimilis , T. dacia , T. cratina , T. delecta , T. destricta , T. flavipennis , T. isolata , T. knowltoni , T. lagunae , T. lactipennis , T. morides , T. parana T. phrygionis , T. quadriplaga , T.

Figures Ι9–22. Male genitalia of Ponometia [former generic name in brackets]. Ι9 Ponometia [ Ponometia ] megocula 20 Ponometia [ Fruva ] fasciatella 2Ι Ponometia [ Tarachidia ] venustula 22 Ponometia [ Conochares ] altera .

rufescens , T. sutor , T. tenuicola , T. terminimaculata and T. tetragona ). Th e vesica of the aedeagus is the most distinctive feature of the T. aprica species-group; it tends to be globular with small subbasal diverticula and a massive subapical diverticulum, almost as long as the aedeagus, with its apex covered by a dense patch of spines. Species of the T. aprica subgroup have a distinctive subbasal lobe on the vesica armed with a row of 2–8 (depending on the species) large spike-like cornuti (Fig. 23). This row of cornuti is absent in the other three subgroups: T. terminimaculata (with T. dacia , T. cratina , T. phrygionis , and T. isolata ), T. tetragona (with T. quadriplaga ), and T. ardoris (with T. morides , T. parana , and T. rufescens ). A diagnostic feature of species in the T. aprica , T.

Figures 23–25. Male genitalia of Tarache [former generic name in brackets]. 23 Tarache [ Acontia ] aprica 24 Tarache [ Acontia ] tetragona 25 Tarache [ Acontia ] areli .

terminimaculata , and T. tetragona subgroups, is the presence of a clavus at the base of the dorsal margin of the sacculus on the right valve, but absent on the left one (Figs 23, 24). The South American Tarache ardoris subgroup lacks the clavus on the right valve. In the female, the appendix bursae is very long and is fused to the right wall of the corpus bursae and extends 0.5–0.8 of the distance to the anterior end of the corpus bursae (Fig. 40). A similar form of bursa copulatrix is in T. augustipennis (Fig. 41) and T. cora , but in the former the fusion is less complete and in the latter there is no distinction between the corpus bursae and appendix bursae, and the ductus seminalis is at the anterior end of the bursa.

Figures 26–29. Male genitalia of Tarache [former generic name in brackets]. 26 Tarache [ Acontia ] expolita 27 Tarache [ Hemispragueia ] idella 28 Tarache [ Therasea ] augustipennis 29 Tarache [ Acontia ] lucasi .

Tarache bilimeki species-group. This species-group contains 21 species found in North and Central America. Like the species of the T. aprica species-group, the moths and male valve structure varies greatly, and the moth of the majority of the species resembles a bird-dropping when at rest. Th e species associated with the T. bilimeki species-group are best characterized by the form of the vesica (Figs 25–28). The apical part of the vesica has two, sometimes partially merged, fields of dense spines that form a rasp-like area; there are several sub-basal diverticula, some of which have peculiar cornuti that arise obliquely, sometimes to the degree that they appear to be on their side. In the female genitalia (Fig. 41) the posterior part of the ductus bursae forms a

Figures 30–32. Male genitalia of Acontia [former generic name in brackets]. 30 Acontia [ Acontia ] lucida 3Ι Acontia [ Acontia ] cretata 32 Acontia [ Stylorache ] albida .

sclerotized, pouch-like ostium bursae, and the appendix bursae is sclerotized, mostly posteriorly, but sometimes partially or completely fused with the right side of the corpus bursae, as in the T. aprica species-group. Species in the T. bilimeki species-group can be arranged in four subgroups. 1) Tarache areli subgroup (with T. albifusa , T. areletta , T. areloides , T. geminocula , and T. toddi ) characterized by a forewing divided into a mainly pale basal half and a mainly dark outer half, except for a contrasting white preapical patch and a contrasting reniform spot, usually with some blue scaling (Fig. 7). The group was recently revised by Ferris and Lafontaine (2009). 2) Tarache expolita subgroup (with T. arida , T. bella , T. cora , T. phaenna ) with dark and light shading forming

Figures 33–35. Male genitalia of Acontia [former generic name in brackets]. 33 Acontia [ Chelichares ] nubifera 34 Acontia [ Hoplotarache ] ruffinellii 35 Eusceptis [ Eusceptis ] flavifrimbriata .

a patchwork parttern ( T. arida , T. bella ), or a dark streak through the middle and lower part of the wing that curves up to the forewing apex ( T. cora , T. expolita ) or almost entirely dark ( T. phaenna ). 3) Tarache bilimeki subgroup (with T. acerba , T. augustipennis , T. axendra , T. lanceolata , T. major , T. mizteca , and T. sedata ) characterized by elongated forewings with the costal half mainly pale and the posterior half mainly dark (Fig. 8). 4) Tarache idella subgroup that includes a single species with a white forewing with narrow black transverse bands and a clear yellow-orange hindwing (Fig. 9).

Tarache lucasi species-group. This species group includes only two species ( T. lucasi and T. vittamargo ). Th e males resemble some species in the T. bilimeki subgroup and females are like some in the T. aprica subgroup. Th e male genitalia (Fig. 29), how-

Figures 36–38. Male genitalia of Acontiinae . 36 Pseudalypia crotchii 37 Spragueia leo 38 Trogotorna persecta .

ever, are atypical for either group. Th e male valves are short and stumpy with strong claspers on both the right and left valves and spine-like setae along the dorsal margins of the sacculi; the aedeagus and vesica are elongate and narrow.