Mesothen ethela Schaus, 1911

Schaus, W. (1911). New species of Heterocera from Costa Rica.—V. Annals and
Magazine of Natural History (8) 7: 173-193; p. 175.

Mesothen ethela, sp. n.

Palpi brown. Head black; frons white; small white spots behind antennae.
Collar and thorax dark brown, patagia black; large white spots on
shoulders. Abdomen bright yellow, terminally black. Fore legs brown, coxae
white; hind legs outwardly black, inwardly buff. Wings hyaline, the veins
and margins brown. Fore wings: apex and tornus more broadly brown, a small
white spot at base of subcostal vein.

Expanse 28 mm.

Hab. Sixola.

Hampson, G. F. (1914). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum. Supplement, vol. 1 (Amatidae and Lithosiadae): p. 143, pl. VII
fig. 14.

443 c. Mesothen ethela. (Plate VII. fig. 14.)

Mesothen ethela, Schaus, A. M. N. H. (8) vii. p. 175 (1911).

♀. Head and thorax black-brown; frons white; patagia with white patches at
base; fore and mid coxae with white patches; mid and hind legs streaked
with whitish on inner side; abdomen yellow, the extremity black. Fore wing
hyaline, the veins and margins black-brown; a white point at base of cell;
a black-brown discoidal bar conjoined to the costal area; the black on
termen expanding widely on apical area and moderately below vein 2. Hind
wing hyaline, the veins and margins black-brown, the black on termen
expanding towards apex; the cell and inner area black.

Hab. Costa Rica, Sixola R. (Schaus), type † ♀ in U.S. Nat. Mus. Exp. 30
millim.

Draudt, M. (1915). Mesothen. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of
the World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges (English edition):
p. 66, pl. 12 i.

M. ethela Schaus (12 i) entirely resembles a small Cosmosoma stibostictum:
thorax and apex of the orange-yellow abdomen are black; forehead and
shoulders white-spotted; dots behind the antennae and forehips white. The
hyaline wings show black margins and apical spot. Costa Rica.