Mesothen ignea Druce, 1898

Druce, H. (1898). Descriptions of some new species of Syntomidae, chiefly
in the Oxford Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (7) 1:
401-406; p. 403.

Mesothen ignea, sp. n.

Male. Primaries and secondaries hyaline, the veins all black; the apex of
the primaries broadly bordered with black; the outer and inner margins
edged with black: secondaries with the apex, outer and inner margins
edged with black. The head, antennae, palpi, and legs black; the collar,
tegulae, thorax, and abdomen dark chrome-yellow; the tegulae spotted
with black and a central black spot on each segment of the abdomen, the
first three being the largest.

Expanse 1 [numerator illegible in the scan]/5 inch.

Hab. Merida (in the Hope Collection, Mus. Oxford).

Hampson, G. F. (1898). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the
British Museum, vol. 1, Syntomidae: p. 213, pl. 8, fig. 21.

442. Mesothen ignea. (Plate VIII. fig. 21.)

Mesothen ignea, Druce, A. M. N. H. (7) i. p. 403 (1898).

Male. Head black; thorax and abdomen orange-red; mesothorax with pair of
black spots, metathorax with single spot; legs fuscous; abdomen with
dorsal series of black lunules, diminishing towards extremity, the
terminal segment black; a lateral series of spots and streaks; ventral
bands on terminal segments; wings hyaline, the veins and margins black.
Fore wing with the base orange-red; a discoidal black lunule; the
terminal band expanding very widely on apical area and at tornus. Hind
wing with the base orange-red; the inner and apical areas black.

Hab. Mexico, 1 male, type in Mus. Oxon. Exp. 42 millim.

Draudt, M. (1915). Mesothen. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of
the World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 65, pl. 12 i.

M. ignea Druce (12 i) has a black head, otherwise the body is orange-red;
on the mesothorax two, on the metathorax one black spot. The dorsum shows
a series of black spots growing smaller posteriorly; the last segment is
black; laterally and underneath on the last segments black spots; legs
black-brown. The hyaline wings have an orange-red base, black margins and
apical spots. Mexico.