On the systematics of the genus Synanthedon Hübner, 1819 sensu lato (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae). Part II. Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910

Abstract

The genus Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910 is restored from synonyms of the polyphyletic genus Synanthedon Hübner, 1819: Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910, stat. rev. The genus includes ten Holarctic species, which superficially can be divided into two species groups, viz. “red-banded” and “yellow-banded”. A morphological description and differential diagnosis are provided. It is indicated that the host plants of the larvae of the genus are representatives of 11 botanical families.

Acta Biologica Sibirica 10: 1487–1497 (2024)

doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14292276

Corresponding author: Oleg G. Gorbunov (gorbunov.oleg@mail.ru)

Academiceditor: R. Yakovlev | Received 2 November 2024 | Accepted 19 November 2024 | Published 10 December 2024

http://zoobank.org/A0B969C5-BBCA-449B-8F1D-CCBE0EE98EFF

Citation: Gorbunov OG (2024) On the systematics of the genus Synanthedon Hübner, 1819 sensu lato (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae). Part II. Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910. Acta Biologica Sibirica 10: 1487–1497. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14292276

Keywords

Clearwing moths, Holarctic realm, Lepidoptera, new combination, Synanthedonini, systematics, taxonomy

Introduction

This publication is the second in a series of planned works on the generic systematics of the polyphyletic genus Synanthedon Hübner, 1819 (Gorbunov 2024) and the next in my studies of the generic taxonomy of Sesiidae (Arita and Gorbunov 1998; Gorbunov and Arita 1999, 2000; 2005; Gorbunov and Gurko 2017; Gorbunov 2018, 2020, 2021a–b, 2023a–b). It is dedicated to the taxon Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910.

In his work “Die Schmetterlinge Europas” Spuler (1910), unlike his contemporaries (Hofmann 1894; Staudinger 1901; Bartel 1902), used the generic name Trochilium Scopoli, 1777 for species that are currently included in the genus Synanthedon s.l. However, in a footnote for Trochilium he pointed out that Trochilium Scopoli, 1777 and Aegeria Fabricius, 1807 may have a common type species, which is correct, and then “Dann wäre Aegeria F. mit Trochilium Sc. synonym und für unser Genus müßte ein neuer Name gegeben werden, …” (Spuler 1910: 308). This new name, Thamnosphecia with the type species Sphinx culiciformis Linnaeus, 1758, was also proposed there by Püngeler. Thus, Spuler only validated the generic name Thamnosphecia, but did not use it. Subsequently, among entomological taxonomists, only Engelhardt (1946) used Thamnosphecia as a generic name for 13 species of North American clearwing moths. The vast majority of researchers indicated this name as a synonym of Aegeria Fabricius, 1807 or Synanthedon Hübner, 1819, but some North American scientific practitioners used this generic name for particularly dangerous pests (Foxlee 1948; Woodside 1952; Pless 1963; Ayers 1966; Pless and Stanley 1967; Coleman 1968; Heichel and Turner 1973; etc, etc).

Having studied in detail the external morphology and structure of the genitalia of both males and females, I agree with Engelhardt and restore the genus Thamnosphecia from junior synonyms of the genus Synanthedon Hübner, 1819: Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910, stat. rev.

I include the following ten species in the genus Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910, stat. rev., viz. Th. culiciformis (Linnaeus, 1758), comb. nov., Th. pyri (Harris, 1830), comb. nov., Th. fulvipes (Harris, 1839), comb. nov., Th. scitula (Harris, 1839), comb. nov., Th. refulgens (H. Edwards, 1881), comb. nov., Th. rubrofascia (H. Edwards, 1881), comb. nov., Th. sigmoidea (Beutenmüller, 1897), comb. nov., Th. talischensis (Bartel, 1906), comb. nov., Th. pseudoscoliaeformis (Špatenka et Arita, 1992), comb. nov., and Th. pamphyla (Kallies, 2003), comb. nov.

As for the other species that Engelhardt (1946) included in the genus Thamnosphecia, due to the lack of collection material and high-quality images of the genitalia, I will leave them in the genus Synanthedon for now, where they are currently placed.

The representatives of the genus are quite diverse in appearance, but they can be grouped by the colour of the stripes on the abdomen into traditional “red-” and “yellow-banded” ones.

Questions regarding the systematic position of the remaining Palaearctic species of the genus Synanthedon s.l. in the modern sense will be discussed in upcoming publications.

Material and methods

The morphological examinations were made using a Leica EZ4 stereomicroscope with LED illumination. All images of the specimens were taken with a Sony® α450 DSLR camera equipped with a Minolta® 50 mm f/2.8 Macro lens. The figures of heads are taken with a Keyence® VHX-1000 Digital Microscope. The genitalia figures are taken with a Keyence® BZ-9000 Biorevo Fluorescence Microscope. The genitalia were photographed using a Keyence® BZ-9000 Biorevo Fluorescence Microscope. The processing of all illustrations was finalized using Adobe® Photoshop® CC2020 software.

All pictures of specimens are labelled with a number, consisting of letters and digits: name of the family, two consecutive digits separated by an n-dash and a year following the m-dash (e.g. SESIIDAE pictures №№ 0115-116–2024). These letters and digit codes correspond to the numbering system of the figured specimens in the author’s archive. Each preparation of the genitalia is stored in a microtube with glycerol pinned under the specimen. The dissected genitalia are equipped with the corresponding number placed in the microtube. This number as a label (e.g. Genitalia preparation № OG–011-2024) is pinned under the specimen and listed in the author’s archive.

The material studied or mentioned herein is stored in the collection of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia (COGM).

The names of plants were verified with the WFO (2024).

Results

Genus Thamnosphecia Spuler, 1910, stat. rev.

Figs 1–19

Thamnosphecia …” – Spuler 1910: 308. Type-species: Sphinx culiciformis Linnaeus, 1758, by original designation.

= Aegeria auct. sensu Curtis, 1825. Type-species: Sphinx culiciformis Linnaeus, 1758, nominal species not originally included in Aegeria Fabricius, 1807, and not linked with one of the originally included nominal species.

= Synanthedon auct. nec Synanthedon Hübner 1819. Type-species: Sphinx oestriformis Rottemburg, 1775 [= Sphinx vespiformis Linnaeus, 1761], by subsequent designation of Newman (1840: 89).

Literature. Bartel 1912: 376 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Dalla Torre and Strand 1925: 8 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Engelhardt 1946: 6 (key), 111 (as a distinct genus); Naumann 1971: 29, 100 (as a synonym of Aegeria Fabricius, 1807 sensu Curtis, 1825); Duckworth and Eichlin 1977: 31 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Naumann 1977: 27, 101 (as a synonym of Aegeria Fabricius, 1807 sensu Curtis, 1825); Heppner and Duckworth 1981: 29 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Fletcher and Nye 1982: 160; Špatenka et al. 1993: 93 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); de Freina 1997: 62 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Špatenka et al. 1999: 118 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819); Pühringer and Kallies 2004: 22 (as a synonym of Synanthedon Hübner, 1819).

Redescription. Medium- or even large-sized Synanthedon-like clearwing moths with alar expanse 20–31 mm (Figs 1, 3, 7–14).

Head with antenna slightly clavate, shortly ciliate in male and without cilia in female; frons covered with slightly protruding scales; labial palpus turned-up, slightly exceeding upper margin of frons, basal and mid palpomeres ventrally covered with elongated seta-like scales; proboscis well-developed, long, functional (Figs 2, 4); vertex smooth-scaled, hanging slightly over frons. Thorax smooth-scaled, both metepimeron and metameron with long hair-like scales posteriorly. Abdomen smooth-scaled, with red, orange or yellow bands, anal tuft well-developed. Forewing with transparent areas well-developed, but in females of Th. rubrofascia (H. Edwards, 1881), comb. nov. it completely opaque; veins R₁ and R₂ fused distally, veins R₄ and R₅ stalked for about half of their length; distance between bases of veins R₃–M₃ approximately same (Fig. 5). Hindwing transparent, discal spot present; vein M₂ arising from costal third of cross-vein; vein M₃ arises from vein CuA1 visibly distal of cross-vein; vein CuP slightly sclerotized basally; vein 1A well-sclerotized, emerging approximately from middle of vein 2A; vein 3A extremely thin, about twice as long as vein 2A (Fig. 6).

Male genitalia (Th. culiciformis, comb. nov.; genital preparation № OG–011- 2024) (Figs 15–18). Tegumen-uncus complex relatively broad; scopula androconialis well-developed, about 0.5 times as long as tegumen-uncus complex (Fig. 15); crista gnathi medialis long and narrow, crista gnati lateralis subcordiform, short and broad, about 0.5 times as long as crista gnathi medialis (Fig. 15); valva (Fig. 16) trapezoid-ovoid with crista sacculi pocked-shaped, broad anteriorly and narrower posteriorly, covered with strong pointed setae; saccus (Fig. 17) narrow, slightly broadening at base, short, slightly shorter than vinculum; aedeagus (Fig. 18) rather thin, about 0.6 times as long as valva; vesica with numerous minute cornuti (Fig. 18).

Female genitalia (Th. culiciformis, comb. nov.; genital preparation № OG–012- 2024) (Fig. 19). Papillae anales relatively small, well-sclerotized, with numerous setae; posterior apophysis distinctly longer than anterior apophysis; tergite 8 relatively long and narrow, weakly sclerotized, with sparse setae at distal half; both lamellae antevaginalis and postvaginalis undeveloped; ostium bursae membranous, funnel shaped, opening near posterior margin of tergite 8; antrum short, tubular, weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae thin, membranous, slightly dilating into corpus bursae; latter ovoid, without signum.

Differential diagnosis. Superficially, representatives of the genus Thamnosphecia, stat. rev. are very similar to some species of the genus Synanthedon s.l., such as S. vespiformis (Linnaeus, 1761), S. spheciformis ([Denis et Schiffermüller], 1775), S. stomoxiformis (Hübner, 1790), S. exitiosa (Say, 1823), S. mesiaeformis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1846), S. pictipes (Grote et Robinson, 1868), S. decipiens (H. Edwards, 1881), S. saxifragae (H. Edwards, 1881), S. castaneae (Busck, 1913), S. fukuzumii Špatenka et Arita, 1992, etc. but they all differ well from each other in the structure of the genitalia of both the male and female (compare Figs 15–19 in this publication with corresponding figures in Engelhardt 1946; Eichlin and Duckworth 1988; Špatenka and Arita 1992; Gorbunov and Arita 1996; Špatenka et al. 1999).

Based on the structure of the crista sacculi of the male genitalia, the genus Thamnosphecia, stat. rev. is unique among and is clearly distinguishable from all taxa of the tribe Synanthedonini.

Life History. Trophically, species of this genus are associated with the following plants, namely, Alnus spp., Betula spp., Corylus spp. (Betulaceae); Carya spp., (Juglandaceae); Wisteria spp. (Fabaceae); Cornus spp. (Cornaceae); Castanea spp., Quercus spp. (Fagaceae); Myrica pensylvanica Mirb. (Myricaceae); Nyssa sylvatica Marshall (Nyssaceae); Pinus spp. (Pinaceae); Berchemia scandens (Hill.) K. Koch (Rhamnaceae); Crataegus spp., Cydonia oblonga Miller, Malus spp., Physocarpus opulifolius (L.) Maxim., Prunus spp., Pyrus spp., Sorbus aucuparia Poir. (Rosaceae); Populus spp., Salix spp. (Salicaceae) (Engelhardt 1946; Eichlin and Duckworth 1988; Gorbunov and Arita 1996; Špatenka et al. 1996, 1999). The larva lives in the wood of trees, especially in injured places or in freshly cut but still living stumps. Pupation of the larvae occurs in a cocoon, which is constructed before or after wintering.

Composition. I currently include ten species in this genus, which superficially form two groups. The following species, viz. Th. culiciformis (Linnaeus, 1758), comb. nov., Th. fulvipes (Harris, 1839), comb. nov., Th. rubrofascia (H. Edwards, 1881), comb. nov., Th. talischensis (Bartel, 1906), comb. nov., and Th. pamphyla (Kallies, 2003), comb. nov. form the “red-banded” species group, while the species, viz. Th. pyri (Harris, 1830), comb. nov., Th. scitula (Harris, 1839), comb. nov., Th. refulgens (H. Edwards, 1881), comb. nov., Th. sigmoidea (Beutenmüller, 1897), comb. nov., and Th. pseudoscoliaeformis (Špatenka et Arita, 1992), comb. nov. form the “yellow-banded” one.

Range. Holarctic Realm.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my dear friends and colleagues who left us very early, Prof. Dr Class M. Naumann (1939–2004) and Dr Karel Špatenka (1955–2021) for fruitful discussions about clearwing moths and sincere joint expeditions. I am also deeply grateful to Prof. Dr Konstantin A. Efetov (Simferopol’, Russia) for his comprehensive assistance, fruitful discussions on taxonomy of Lepidoptera and friendly support in the process of studying the sesiids of Crimea and some other regions, and Prof. Yutaka Arita (Mie, Japan), Mr Hiroyuki Ogane (Nagoya, Japan) and Mrs Fumi Igari (Kochi, Japan) for help in studying Japanese Sesiidae. I am also very grateful to Dr Alexandra A. Yatsuk (Moscow, Russia) for her help in photographing the details of the Sesiidae morphology. Also I am indebted to Dr Anatoly V. Krupitsky (Moscow, Russia) for carefully checking the English of an advanced draft and to two anonymous reviewers for fruitful discussions.

The study was conducted using the equipments of the Electron Microscopy Room of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia).

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