Agylla nivea (Walker, 1856)

Walker, F. (1856). List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the
Collection of the British Museum, Part 7: Lepidoptera Heterocera: pp.
1778-1779. Described as Lithosia nivea.

Lithosia nivea.

Fem. Candida; caput supra nigrum, antice luteum; palpi lutei, apice nigri;
antennae fulvae, subsetosae; thorax iridescens; abdomen supra testaceum;
pedes lutei, antici nigro vittati; alae nitentes.

Female. Pure white. Head black above, luteous in front. Proboscis tawny.
Palpi luteous, with black tips. Antennae tawny, minutely setose, about
three-fourths of the length of the body. Thorax with iridescent lustre.
Abdomen testaceous above. Legs luteous; fore legs striped with black. Wings
shining. Length of the body 6 lines; of the wings 18 lines.
Brazil. In Mr. Saunders' collection.

Walker, F. (1866). List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the
Collection of the British Museum, Part 35: Supplement, Part 5: pp.
1911-1912. Original description of Halesidota monoleuca Walker, a synonym.

Halesidota monoleuca.

Mas. Argenteo-alba; caput cervinum; palpi cervini, erecti, articulo 3o
lanceolato; antennae subpectinatae; abdomen alas posticas sat superans,
fasciculo apicali minimo; pedes robusti, tibiis tarsisque anticis
nigricantibus.

Male. Silvery white. Head fawn-colour, except the hind border. Palpi
fawn-colour, smooth, slender, erect, not rising higher than the vertex;
third joint lanceolate, less than half the length of the second. Antennae
very slightly pectinated. Abdomen extending rather beyond the hind wings;
apical tuft very small. Legs smooth, stout; spurs short; fore tibiae and
fore tarsi blackish above. Wings long, moderately broad. Fore wings acute;
exterior border convex, rather oblique. Length of the body 7 lines; of the
wings 19 lines.

Hampson, G.F. (1900). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, vol. 2: Catalogue of the Arctiadae (Nolinae, Lithosianae): pp.
195-196, fig. 115.

400. Agylla nivea.
Lithosia nivea, Wlk. vii. 1778 (1856); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 338.
Halesidota monoleuca, Wlk. xxxv. 1911 (1866); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 337.
Crambomorpha argentea, Feld. Reis. Nov. pl. 106. f. 10 (1874); Druce, Biol.
Centr.-Am., Het. i. p. 132; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 337.
Crambomorpha virginea, Schaus, P. Z. S. 1894, p. 240.
Macrocrambus plateada, Dognin, Ann. Soc. Ent. Belge, xxxviii. p. 122 (1894);
id. Lép. Loja, p. 104, pl. 11. ff. 6, 6a.
Macrocrambus florecilla, Dognin, Ann. Soc. Ent. Belge, xxxviii. p. 122
(1894); id. Lép. Loja, p. 105, pl. 11. f. 5.

Male. Silvery white; palpi orange, black at tips; frons blackish; vertex of
head white or orange; antennae orange; legs mostly orange, fore tibiae and
tarsi streaked with black; abdomen white, pale yellow, or orange-yellow.
Fore wing with the costa orange.
Female. Fore wing without orange on costa.
Ab. 1. Tegulae and fore part of patagia and thorax suffused with fuscous.
(a) argentea, vertex of head yellow; (b) florecilla, vertex of head fuscous.
Ab. 2. plateada. Tegulae and fore part of patagia and thorax tinged with
metallic green.
Hab. Mexico, Jalapa (Trujillo), 3 males, 3 females, Coatepec (Brooks),
2 females; Guatemala (Champion, Rodriguez), 2 males, 1 female; Costa Rica
(Rogers, Underwood), 3 males, 1 female; Panama (Champion), 1 female,
Godman-Salvin Coll.; Colombia, Bogota (Stevens), 1 male, type monoleuca;
Brazil, Sao Paulo (Jones), 1 male, 1 female, Espiritu Santo, 1 male, Parana,
type † virginea in Coll. Schaus; Ecuador, Loja, 1 female; Bolivia, Chaco
(Garlepp), 1 male. Exp. 30-48 millim. Type † argentea in Coll. Rothschild.

Draudt, M. (1919). Lithosiinae. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of
the World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 281, pl. 37 c.

A. nivea Wkr. (= monoleuca Wkr.) (37 c) is a very common and widely
distributed species. Body and wings silvery white. Palpi orange, with a
black terminal joint; forehead blackish, vertex white or orange-yellow,
antennae orange, so are the legs, which are partly striped black. Abdomen
white, light yellow or orange-yellow. Costa of the forewing in the male
orange, in the female white. -- The form in which the collar and anterior
half of the thorax, inclusive of the anterior half of the shoulder-covers,
are tinged brownish-grey, is called: argentea Fldr. (= virginea Schs.), if
the vertex is orange-yellow, -- florecilla Dogn. if it is coloured
brownish-grey. -- plateada Dogn. is quite a different form, in which the
collar and anterior half of the thorax and shoulder-covers are coloured
metallic green. Expanse of wings: 30 to 48 mm. Distributed from Mexico
through the whole of Central America as far as Ecuador and Bolivia.