Nychiodes Lederer 1853

Nychiodes Lederer, 1853

Nychiodes Lederer, 1853. Verhandlungen des Zoologisch-Botanischen Vereins in Wien, 3: 177, 216, 219. Type species: Geometra lividaria Hu ̈bner, 1799 [Europe]. Genus synonyms after Scoble (1999).

Comeesia Wehrli, 1941. in: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4 (Supplement): 440. Type species: Nychiodes admirabila Brandt, 1938.

Eunychiodes Wehrli, 1941. in: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4 (Supplement): 441. Type species: Boarmia amygdalaria Herrich-Scha ̈ffer, 1948.

Fritzwagneria Wehrli, 1941. in: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Grossschmetterlinge der Erde 4 (Supplement): 438. Type species: Nychiodes dalmatina Wagner, 1909.

Description. (after Müller et al. 2019 with complementary characters): Wings and body. Medium to large sized moths (wingspan between 24–50 mm), females slightly larger than males. Antennae bipectinate in males and females (fig. 1 A-C). Proboscis entirely reduced. Frons, thorax and abdomen concolourus with the wings. Chaetosemata arranged as two separated patches. Ground colour of wings differing from bright yellow to different kinds of brown or grey. Transverse lines, if present, differing from bright white to dark brown and even black. Terminal line often dark highlighted. Discal spots mostly visible, sometimes faint or absent. In the forewing, veins R1 and R2 with a common stalk arising from the cell; R3–5 with a common stalk arising from the cell; vein A characteristically curved in the basal area. In hindwing Sc+R1 strongly curved in basal area, approximating to the cell in the postbasal area; short A3 and A1+2 originating separately (fig. 2).

Male genitalia (fig. 1 D-E). Uncus short, basally broad and triangular, apically pointed and bent to ventral side (visible only in natural position before embedding). Gnathos well developed and strongly sclerotized, medially tongue-shaped. Valva equipped with two main processes on its ventral part, namely ampulla superior and ampulla inferior; a third process, the sacculus process, is present only in the obscuraria and waltheri species-group (see below). Costa of valva strongly sclerotized. Juxta anchor-shaped, stalk (connection between apical and basal parts of juxta) is diagnostic. Aedeagus equipped with one sclerotized cornutus.

Female genitalia (fig. 1F). Large in size, with a rounded or ovally elongated ovipositor. The apophyses anteriores and posteriores ratio is a diagnostic character in species level. Lamella postvaginalis sclerotized, its shape is a diagnostic character. Ductus bursae membranous, partial sclerotization possible. Corpus bursae membranous with a stellate signum.

Diagnosis. The genus Nychiodes is regarded as sister genus to Eurranthis (Müller et al. 2019; Murillo-Ramos et al. 2019) and these two genera can be diagnosed as follows: Nychiodes species are mainly nocturnal (Eurranthis species diurnal). Ground colour pale yellow to almost black in Nychiodes (very characteristic orange-white, with thick black medial lines in Eurranthis). In female genitalia of Nychiodes, lamella postvaginalis sclerotized, elongat- ed laterally or elongated antero-posteriorly (as sclerotized plate, concave posteriorly in Eurranthis). In Nychiodes, corpus bursae membranous, rather bag-like; signum stellate (corpus bursae membranous, tubular; signum weak in Eurranthis).