Dysschema viuda (Schaus, 1910)

Schaus, W. (1910). Descriptions of new Heterocera from Costa Rica. Annals and
Magazine of Natural History (8) 6: 189-211; p. 209 (as Pericopis viuda).

Female. Head and thorax dark brown. Legs brown streaked with yellow. Abdomen
above ochreous, divided into a double row of large spots by a broad black
subdorsal band and narrow transverse black lines; laterally black with a yellow
line, interrupted by black transverse lines; underneath yellow banded with
black; anus red. Primaries above brown, darkest on basal half, with a large
blackish-brown spot in cell; one beyond cell and reaching costa; a subapical
inwardly-curved shade and a subterminal shade from vein 3 to inner margin; outer
margin also darker, with some curved lines between the veins faintly yellowish
and preceded by a reddish-brown shade, very faint and indistinct. Underneath
ochreous and yellow, the veins black; some red shading at base of costa; a black
band crossing cell obliquely to median vein, then nearly straight to inner
margin; a large black spot beyond cell from costa to vein 3; the subterminal
black shades followed by a broken ochreous-brown shade: the outer margin
irregularly black with a deeply wavy, broken, white line. Secondaries above and
below ochreous, the veins black; the discocellular heavily black; a broad
postmedial irregular black band; the outer margin black, inwardly dentate, and
containing white spots between the veins.
Expanse 105 mm.
Hab. Tuis.
The male of this fine species remains to be discovered.

Hering, M. (1925). Pericopidae. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of the
World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart; p.
441, pl. 63 d (as Pericopis viuda).

P. viuda Schs. (63 d). Female similar to that of lycaste, but much larger,
abdomen above ochreous-yellow with black posterior margins of the segments and a
black dorsal line. Hindwing ochreous-yellow, the black band between the cell and
margin very broad, analwards very much widened. Panama.

The lycaste paragraph referred to (same work, p. 441, pl. 63 e):

P. lycaste Klug (= iscariotes Bsd., cydon Drc.) (63 e). Body blackish-brown,
patagia and thoracal sides with scanty yellow scales; abdomen above red with a
black dorsal line, laterally with black lines, beneath brimstone-coloured,
posterior margins of the segments in the centre black. Forewing blackish-brown
with a diffuse hyaline transverse band extending from the tornus to the costa,
bifurcating at the discal cell, the outer portion projecting between the 1st
cubitus and 2nd median towards the margin. Hindwing hyaline in the male; costa,
transverse vein, and margin black, the latter with a row of white submarginal
spots, before them a brick-coloured red band being more or less extended to the
apex. Female hindwing of an ochreous-red ground-colour, margin black with white
spots, before it an irregular black line. Beneath the costa of the forewing with
a red basal streak, the black markings partly covered with red-brown. -- In the
male form praetides Drc. (63 f) the red parts in the margin of the hindwing are
absent; -- in tibesis Drc. (63 d, e) the male hindwing is not whitish hyaline,
but red-hyaline. Mexico to Colombia. -- Larva dark brown, spotted black in
dorsal, lateral, and stigmatal lines between the reddish-brown tubercles.
Segment 4 is lighter, 5 and 11 dark, their tubercles black; 3, 6 and 13 are
somewhat darker.

Moraes, S. S. (2014). Análise cladística da subtribo Pericopina e revisão
taxonômica de Dysschema Hübner, 1818 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae,
Arctiini). Doctoral thesis, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo;
pp. 78-80, figs 31 H-I (adults), 73 (male genitalia) (Dysschema viuda, lectotype
designated: Costa Rica, Tuis, USNM).

Translated from the Portuguese original.

Redescription. Male (Fig. 31 H).
Head: brown. Labial palpus brown with white scales on the distal part of the
middle and distal segments.
Thorax: predominantly brown. Prothoracic collar brown; prothoracic coxa brown.
Tegula brown, basal region of the inner margin of the tegula with a reduced set
of red scales; outer face of the meso- and metathoracic femora yellow. Fore wing
light brown, veins outlined by dark brown scales; two semi-hyaline patches
obscured by light brown scales (i) subrectangular in the median region, between
the costal margin and the inner margin, in contact with the subapical patch at
CuA1 (ii) subrectangular in the subapical region, between R4 and CuA1; a dark
brown subquadrate spot at the closure of the discal cell; submarginal band with
its anterior element in the form of chamfered ferruginous spots, between R5 and
CuP, and its distal element in the form of obscured, semicircular white spots,
between R4 and CuP; a red spot at the wing base, on the stem of R; underside
with a pattern like the upperside, but with a patch in the basal region between
the stem of R and CuP, the other patches and the elements of the submarginal
band more evident and the basal quarter of the costal margin with red scales.
Hind wing with costal and outer margins brown; basal and discal region yellow
and veins outlined by brown scales, the stem of CuA standing out; a rectangular
brown spot at the closure of the discal cell; submarginal band with its proximal
element in the form of obscured, chamfered ferruginous spots, between Rs and 2A,
and its distal elements in the form of white spots between Sc+R1 and 1A;
underside with a pattern like the upperside, but with the costal margin with
orange scales, the elements of the submarginal band more evident and the wing
base with a red spot in the costal region.
Abdomen: dorsally brown, with two lateral bands of subquadrate ochre spots on
segments A1-A7; ventrally yellow, with the posterior margin of the sternites
outlined by dark brown scales. Tuft of ferruginous scales on the terminal part
of the abdomen.
Genitalia (Fig. 73): tegumen rectangular in dorsal view, anterior margin sinuous
and postero-lateral projections pointed, free. Uncus bifid, not fused to the
tegumen; arms of the uncus divergent, fused in their anterior part, not
projected ventrally. Valva entire; costa membranous, medial apodeme (lacinia)
absent, distal apodeme absent; sacculus distinct, in the form of a fold; harpe
distinct, rectangular and narrow; cucullus digitiform, not extending beyond the
valvula and directed towards the medial region; valvula membranous and
digitiform and extended posteriorly. Transtilla sclerotized, not articulated
with the valva or the juxta. Juxta sclerotized, a subquadrate sclerite. Saccus
trapezoidal in ventral view, without anterior projection. Aedeagus straight,
smooth; ejaculatory bulb rounded, foramen lateral; vesica with one lobe, smooth,
everted part of the ejaculatory duct with a sclerotized plate.
Female (Fig. 31 I).
Head: predominantly brown; a tuft of white scales in the postero-proximal region
of the vertex. Labial palpus as in the male.
Thorax: predominantly brown. Prothoracic collar as in the male; prothoracic coxa
as in the male. Tegula as in the male; femora of the three segments as in the
male. Fore wing as in the male. Hind wing with costal and outer margins brown;
basal and discal region orange and veins outlined by brown scales, the stem of
CuA standing out; a rectangular brown spot at the closure of the discal cell;
submarginal band with its proximal element in the form of chamfered orange
spots, between Rs and 2A, and its distal elements in the form of white spots
between Sc+R1 and 1A; underside with a pattern like the upperside, but with the
costal margin with orange scales, the elements of the submarginal band more
evident and the wing base with a red spot in the costal region.
Abdomen: like that of the male.
Genitalia: seventh sternite smooth; ostium membranous, not fused to the
sternite, without projections; antrum sclerotized, straight; ductus bursae
membranous, long; corpus bursae extending beyond the seventh sternite, signa
paired, circular. Lamella antevaginalis absent; lamella postvaginalis absent.