''Macrosoma cascaria'' is moth-like butterfly described by
William Schaus in 1901. It belongs to the family
Hedylidae.
Originally it belonged to the genus ''
Hyphedyle''.
Malcolm J. Scoble combined it with ''Macrosoma'' in 1986.
Distribution
The species is found in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
:
Xalapa
Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...
,
Tabasco and
Misantla
Misantla is a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz, the administrative seat of the municipality ''(municipio)'' of the same name. The municipality is bordered by Martínez de la Torre, Colipa and Papantla.
Misantla is located in the valley of th ...
near the coast north of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
to the northern
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
Description
Wings
''M. cascaria'' has wings of the ground colour which is more brown than greyish brown. The forewing has various brown-black markings and white triangular mark on costa; apex is chestnut brown.
The length of the forewing is 19–26 mm.
Genitalia
Male
Following are the characteristics of the male genitalia:
* Saccus is fairly short.
* Gnathos with the central element is downcurved.
* Valva is subtriangular.
Female
The female genitalia has the following features:
* The anal papillae is fairly short.
* Corpus bursae is elongated, broadening gradually from ductus.
* Signum is denticulate.
Antenna
The antenna is not bipectinate in both sexes.
Diagnosis
The male genitalia are extremely similar to those of ''
M. albifascia'', but the chestnut apical patch in ''M. cascaria'' and the absence of the broad white forewing band make the two species easy to distinguish. The colour pattern is most closely resembles to that of ''
M. paularia'', but ''M. cascaria'' differs in having the white, costal patch and darker hindwings. The shape of the Gnathos also differs in having the medial element downcurved.
Foodplant
The foodplant is ''
Croton sp.'' of the
Euphorbiaceae.
References
Macrosoma cascaria - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life
Catalogue of Life
A catalogue of the Hedylidae (Lepidoptera: Hedyloidea), with descriptions of two new species
An identification guide to the Hedylidae (Lepidoptera: Hedyloidea)
Sources
[Macrosoma cascaria - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life](_blank)
[Scoble, M.J. (1990). A catalogue of the Hedylidae (Lepidoptera: Hedyloidea), with descriptions of two new species. ''Insect Systematics & Evolution, Volume 21, Number 2, 1990, Page: 113-119''.]
[Scoble, M.J. (1990). An identification guide to the Hedylidae (Lepidoptera: Hedyloidea). '' Insect Systematics & Evolution, Volume 21, Number 2, 1990 , Page: 121-158''.]
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16448737
Hedylidae
Butterflies described in 1901
Hedylidae of South America
Butterflies of Central America
Lepidoptera of Mexico
Taxa named by William Schaus