Dysschema imitata (Druce, 1910)

Druce, H. (1910). Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera from East and
West Africa and tropical South America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History
(8) 6: 168-184; p. 170 (as Pericopis imitata).

Male. Head, antennae, collar, thorax, base of the abdomen, and legs black; two
yellow spots at the back of the head and two at the base of the primaries;
abdomen black, with a row of bluish-grey spots on each side, below which on the
sides a row of very minute white dots; the underside spotted with yellow; the
anal tuft bright red. Primaries very similar to those of P. arema, Boisd., but
browner and not so hyaline, without the broad black band across the wing at the
end of the cell as in P. arema; a faint marginal zigzag line extends from the
apex to the anal angle; the fringe black: secondaries pale yellowish white, very
broadly bordered with black at the end of the cell; two yellowish-white spots; a
marginal row of white spots from near the apex to the anal angle. The underside
very similar to the upperside, a red spot at the base of both wings.
Expanse, male, female, 3 inches.
Hab. Peru, Limbani, Carabaya, 9500 feet, 3 males, 1 female; Rio Huacamayo, 3100
feet, 2 males; Oconeque, 7000 feet, 1 male; Agualani, 10,000 feet, 4 (G.
Ockenden). Brazil, 1 (ex Staudinger) (Mus. Druce).
Near P. arema, Boisd., but at once distinguished from that species by the
bluish-grey sides to the abdomen.

Hering, M. (1925). Pericopidae. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of the
World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart; p.
444, pl. 64 d (as Pericopis imitata).

P. imitata Drc. (64 d) resembles arema. Abdomen with subdorsal spots varying
from greenish to bluish-grey, beneath only with one row of spots in the
forewing. The hyaline places are more brownish, the dark band through the centre
of the cell broader, hindwing with a broader black distal margin (particularly
at the anal angle), the discal area uniformly hyaline greenish-yellow. Bolivia,
Peru.

The arema paragraph referred to (same work, p. 444, pl. 64 d):

P. arema Bsd. (64 d). This species, and those allied to it, strongly recall the
species of Thebrone, but the male and female are similarly coloured and marked.
Forewing blackish-brown with a hyaline triangular spot at the base, a similar
discal and subapical band, both being behind the cell connected. Hindwing
whitish hyaline, distally scaled somewhat yellow, costa and distal margin broad
black with a row of white submarginal spots. Body brown, patagia at the base
yellow. Abdomen with two subdorsal rows of yellow spots, a red anal tuft, with
two ventral rows of yellow spots. Nicaragua, Venezuela.

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. 89-91, figs 28 O-P (adults), 47 (male genitalia) (Dysschema imitata,
lectotype designated: Peru, Limbani, Carabaya, BMNH).

Translated from the Portuguese original.

Redescription. Male (Fig. 28 O).
Head: brown.
Thorax: predominantly brown. Prothoracic collar with four spots, two proximal
ones yellow and well delimited, two distal ones white and reduced; base of the
prothoracic coxa with white scales. Tegula with two yellow spots in the basal
region, near the outer margin. Fore wing with costal, outer and inner margins
brown, three sets of semi-hyaline patches with light brown scales, generally
fused forming a single patch (i) triangular in the basal region of the wing,
between the stem of R and CuP (ii) subrectangular in the median region, between
the stem of R and the inner margin (iii) concave in the subapical region,
between R4+R5 and CuA1; two dark brown spots, a sinuous band in the median
region between the costal and inner margins, the other subquadrate, at the
closure of the discal cell; wing base with two sets of tufts of yellow scales,
on the stem of R and on the stem of CuA; underside with a pattern like the
upperside, but with the wing base with a red spot in the costal region. Hind
wing with costal and outer margins brown; basal and discal region beige, with
veins outlined by brown scales, the stem of CuA standing out; a brown spot at
the closure of the cell; two circular yellow spots beyond the discal cell,
between M1 and M3; submarginal band formed by white spots, between Rs and 2A, in
some individuals obscured between M2 and M3; underside with a pattern like the
upperside, but with the wing base with a red spot in the costal region.
Abdomen: dorsally brown, with two lateral bands formed by spots, white on
segments A1-A2 and beige on segments A3-A8; ventrally brown, with central spots
gradually reduced on segments A4-A8. Tufts of red scales in the terminal region
of the abdomen.
Genitalia (Fig. 47): tegumen rectangular in dorsal view, anterior margin
straight 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; medial apodeme (lacinia) absent, distal
apodeme absent; sacculus distinct, in the form of a fold; harpe distinct,
rectangular and narrow; cucullus falciform, apex acute, as long as the valvula,
directed towards the medial region; valvula membranous, triangular. Transtilla
sclerotized, not articulated with the valva or the juxta. Juxta sclerotized, two
sclerites partly fused dorsally, cordiform. Saccus with an anterior, central,
subquadrate projection. Aedeagus straight, smooth; ejaculatory bulb rounded,
foramen lateral; caecum digitiform, vesica with two lobes, smooth, everted part
of the ejaculatory duct with a sclerotized plate.
Female (Fig. 28 P).
Head: predominantly brown. Vertex with reduced tufts of white scales in the
anterior region of the scape, spots with reduced tufts of white scales in the
postero-proximal region of the vertex and behind the ocelli.
Thorax: like that of the male.
Abdomen: like that of the male.
Genitalia: seventh sternite smooth; ostium membranous, not fused to the
sternite, without projections; antrum membranous; ductus bursae membranous,
short, straight; corpus bursae not extending beyond the seventh sternite, signa
paired, circular. Lamella antevaginalis absent; lamella postvaginalis absent.