AZ24-0216  —  Nemoria cf. hazelae  (Geometridae: Geometrinae)
Specimen: male, wingspan 28 mm, Cab. Yankuam, Rio Nangaritza,
Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, 1000 m, Aug 2023.

Recorded as N. hazelae. Wing pattern and size fit hazelae well, but the
Andean SE-Ecuador locality is far outside hazelae's known range and
falls in the range of the look-alike conspersa. Kept as "cf." pending
male genitalia. Both belong to the densely-speckled scriptaria-group.


                        hazelae Pitkin, 1993          conspersa (Warren, 1904)
                        ---------------------------   ---------------------------
SIZE                    SMALL: forewing 12-13 mm      LARGER than hazelae.
                        (~27-29 mm wingspan).

FOREWING PATTERN        Densely, evenly SPECKLED,     More DIFFUSE or PATCHY
                        with a discrete LARGE         forewing pattern.
                        CENTRAL MOTTLED BROWN area.

FRINGES                 Pale green.                   (not specified by Pitkin)

FRONS / HEAD            Greenish brown, 2 small       (per Warren 1904)
                        white marks in lower
                        corners; white interantennal
                        fillet, green behind.

APEX                    No dark apical blotch.        --

MALE GENITALIA          Valva NARROW, +/- parallel-   Valva BROADER.
  valva (the clincher)  sided, rounded tip; basal
                        costal process short (~1/3
                        valva), sharply tapered;
                        NO distal process (Fig 160).

TYPE LOCALITY           Costa Rica: Osa Peninsula,    SE PERU: Carabaya, Santo
                        Corcovado NP, Sirena.         Domingo, ~2000 m.

DISTRIBUTION            PACIFIC COSTA RICA ONLY       PERU (Andean, ~1850-2000 m).
                        (W-central to S), 0-1200 m.


QUICKEST SEPARATORS (in order of ease)
  1. Size: SMALL (~28 mm, fw 12-13 mm) = hazelae; distinctly larger = conspersa.
  2. Forewing: densely/evenly speckled with a defined large central mottled
     brown area = hazelae; more diffuse/patchy = conspersa.
  3. Genitalia (clincher, male): NARROW parallel-sided valva, short tapered
     basal costal process, no distal process (hazelae, Fig 160) vs. BROADER
     valva (conspersa, genitalia slide Geom. 15600).

WHY "cf." FOR AZ24-0216
  - FOR hazelae: small (28 mm), densely speckled, defined large central brown
    area, pale green fringes, no apical blotch, male bipectinate antennae.
  - AGAINST hazelae: hazelae is known ONLY from Pacific Costa Rica; this
    specimen is Andean SE Ecuador (Zamora Chinchipe, 1000 m) - a ~2500 km,
    trans-Andean range extension if genuine.
  - conspersa fits the geography (SE Peru / Andean) but is described as LARGER
    and MORE DIFFUSE, so it does not fit perfectly either.
  - Likely the hazelae/conspersa complex; may be an Andean look-alike. The
    male valva width settles it; a COI barcode would too.

Source: Pitkin, L.M. (1993). Neotropical emerald moths of the genera Nemoria,
Lissochlora and Chavarriella... Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. (Ent.) 62(2): 39-159.
hazelae account journal p.72 (Figs 19, 101, 160, 228); conspersa in the
catalogue of extralimital species, journal p.106 (Blechroma conspersa Warren,
1904, Novit. Zool. 11: 502).