Watson, 1975, Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) Suppl. 25: 13



Viviennea moma (Schaus) comb. n. (Text-figs 1, 2; Pl. 1, figs 1-5; Pl. 2, figs 8—r0)
Automolis moma Schaus, 1905 : 218. Holotype g, Guyana (USNM) [examined].
Automolis moma tenuifascia Rothschild, 1917 : 481. Holotype 2, Brazit (BMNH) [examined]. {[Synonymized by Hampson, 1920 : 175.]
Automolis moma Schaus; Strand, 1919 : 21.
Automolis moma Schaus; Hampson, 1920 : 175.
Automolis moma Schaus; Seitz, 1922 : 373.
Rhipha moma (Schaus) Travassos, 1954 : 217.
Automolis moma Schaus; Watson, 1971 : 61 [fig. of ¢ genitalia].
Male: Palps, antennae, vertex and side of head dark greyish brown, nearly black; front of head as for vertex but with iridescent blue and green area above labrum. Patagia yellow; tegulae nearly black except for yellow anterior band; rest of thorax nearly black dorsally; ventral surface of thorax brown, less dark than dorsal surface. Front surface of foreleg coxae dark brown and slightly iridescent bluish green, outer surface brilliantly iridescent blue and green; test of legs as for front of coxa. Some iridescent blue and green scales posterior to tymbal organ. Upper surface of forewing dark greyish brown with two yellow transverse bands and with iridescent blue and green patch at base. Upper surface of hindwing dark greyish brown distally, pale yellow proximally with some dark brown scales in anal area. Under surface of hindwings as upper surface, but paler. Segments 1-3 of abdomen nearly black dorsally; segment 4 either uniformly nearly black dorsally (as in holotype), or black with medial, orange
14 A. WATSON
patch; in a few specimens (not the holotype) there is a black, lateral spot on each side of segments 3-7; segments 5-7 orange dorsally (in type and most specimens), with purple and pale blue iridescence posteriorly on each segment; 7 black, or black with orange medial spot in some specimens; segment 8 brilliantly iridescent black, blue and green. Ventral surface of segment 2 black laterally, orange medially; segments 3—7 orange, each with pair black lateral spots, absent on 7 in four specimens (type abdomen was worn); segment 8 orange anteriorly, iridescent dark brown, blue and green posteriorly.
Female. Similar to male. Differs in narrower distal, yellow band on forewing, especially type of tenuifascia, and less extensive yellow proximal area in hindwing. Coloration of abdomen differs as follows: orange band on dorsal surface much narrower, mainly as result of increase . in posterior dark brown area which may extend anteriorly to include segment 5 (except for orange medial patch); posterior segments brilliantly lustrous only at posterior margin of segments; ventrally dark brown, with or without orange lateral patches.
Forewing length: holotype g, 21:5 mm; ¢ 18-5—-22-:0 mm; @ 23-0—24:5 mm.
Male genitalia. Uncus tapered; valves arcuate and dilate distally; aedeagus -with serrate, apical process; vesica with several lobes.
Female genitalia. Lamella postvaginalis with broadly V-shaped posterior margin; ductus bursae sclerotized posteriorly; accessory sac of corpus bursae as large as latter; posterior margin of 7th sternite weakly concave, finely serrate laterally.


Separable from momyra, tegyra and gyrata by the evenly rounded apex to the valve in the male genitalia (each of the latter three species has small pointed process at the apex of the valve). Both momyra and tegyra have much more orange on the dorsal surface of the abdomen than in moma, with no black on the anterior half, and tegyra is further distinguished by the sinuous, distal, yellow band on the fore- wing. The type and only known specimen of the nominal species gyvata possesses the sinuous, distal, yellow band on the forewing, as in tegyra, whereas the abdomen is typical of moma.
With so little Central American material available, it is difficult to comment about the validity of the names momyra, tegyra and gyrata. On present evidence they seem to represent discrete, allopatric entities, which may prove to form a superspecies (Avtenkreis) with moma, or a single polytypic species without moma (from which all three can be separated by the shape of the valva).
The type of Rothschild’s tenuzfascia is simply a female of moma.
Specimens have been identified from the eastern arm of the Andes in Colombia (or from east of the Andes), from Venezuela, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. The western arm of the Andes may form a dispersal barrier in Colombia — all four specimens of momyra, for which possible subspecific or superspecific separa- tion from moma has been suggested above, were collected in localities west of this western arm, from where none of the apparently more eastern moma have been taken. There is no record of the nominal species gyrata or tegyra east of the type- locality of the latter — Chiriqui, Panama.