Psalis pennatula ( Fabricius, 1793 )

László, Gyula M. & Powell, Bethany, 2024, Review of the Afrotropical Psalis Hübner, [1823] with descriptions of two new species and notes on Asiatic taxa (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Lymantriinae, Orgyiini), Ecologica Montenegrina 77, pp. 77-96 : 81-82

Psalis pennatula ( Fabricius, 1793)

(Figs 2–3, 19–20, 28–29, 41–42, 49–50)

Bombyx pennatula Fabricius, 1793 , Entomologia systematica emendate et aucta. Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus (3) 1: 465. 2 syntypes, in coll. ZMUC ( Zimsen 1964). Type locality: [East India] “ India orientali”.

Rigema falcata Walker, 1865 , List of the specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 32: 437. 2 syntypes, in coll. NHMUK. Type locality: [ Sri Lanka] Ceylon and [ Indonesia] Java. Remark. Only a female specimen from “ Ceylon ” was traced in the collection of NHMUK. Walker’s description indeed refers to a female specimen (cf. “antennae slightly pectinated…Fore wings lanceolate, falcate, acute…”) but despite this, he indicated the sex of the specimen as male. Walker included a male specimen from Java as a second (syn)type which was almost certainly the holotype of Arestha antica described 10 years before Rigema falcata . Based on Walker’s original description, the Sri Lankan specimen would seem the most prudent upon which to fix the name, but this act ought to be implemented within the framework of a comprehensive revision of the Asian taxa, and in this present work, we maintain the synonymy of R. falcata with P. pennatula .

Anticyra approximata Walker, 1865 , List of the specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum 32: 440. Holotype, female in coll. NHMUK. Type locality: [North India] “N. I.”. Remark. The holotype specimen of A. approximata although indicated in the original description as a male, is female in line with the descriptive text. As in the case of Rigema falcata above, it may be that the bipectinate nature of the female antennae caused Walker to mistake the sex of the specimens he examined.

Material examined.

India. 1 male, Assam, 05.viii.1906, leg. W.F. Badgley. QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010292334 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332603 (prepared by G.M. László) ; 1 male, Kanara , leg. T. R. Bell, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010292335 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332604 (prepared by G.M. László) ; 1 female, N. Assam, Dibrugrah , leg. E.C. Ward, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010292338 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332607 (prepared by G.M. László) ( NHMUK) . 2 males, Khasis , ex Doncaster coll., gen. slide No.: BP 047 ; 1 male, Khasi Hills , x.1889, ex. Brodie coll., gen. slide No.: BP 053 ; 1 male, Sultanpur , 1888, leg. Captain G. Young, gen slide No.: BP 054 ; 1 male, S. India, ex. Doncaster coll., gen. slide No.: BP 046; 1 female, Khasis , ix.1894, ex. Doncaster coll., gen. slide No.: BP 042 ; 1 female, Assam, Shillong , ix.1893, ex. Doncaster coll., gen. slide No.: BP 049 ; 1 female, Shillong , ix.1893, ex. Brodie coll., gen. slide No.: BP 048 ( OUMNH) . Philippines. 1 male, Baguio, Benguet, Luzon , 5000 ft, 16.vi.1913 leg. A.E. Wileman, QR code label with unique id.: NHMUK010292337 , gen. slide No. : NHMUK 014332606 (prepared by G.M. László) ( NHMUK) . Sri Lanka. 1 male, 1 female, Ceylon , ex. Doncaster coll., QR code labels with unique id.: NHMUK 010292333 (male) , NHMUK010292339 (female) , gen. slide Nos : NHMUK 014332602 (male) , NHMUK 014332608 (female) (prepared by G.M. László) ( NHMUK) . 1 female, Ceylon , 1873, gen. slide No.: BP 045 ( OUMNH) .

Remark. The species has hitherto not been reported from the Philippines but since the males of P. pennatula and P. securis cannot be reliably distinguished, the identification of the specimen listed above is not conclusive.

Ffigures 1–9. Adults, male. 1. Psalis securis (NHMUK) . 2. P. pennatula (NHMUK) . 3. Id. (OUMNH). 4. P. africana, HT (NHMUK) . 5. Id., PT (NHMUK). 6. Id. (ANHRT). 7. Id. (ANHRT). 8. Id. (ANHRT). 9. P. punctuligera (NHMUK) .