Cosmosoma gemmatum (Butler, 1876)

Butler, A. G. (1876). Notes on the Lepidoptera of the family Zygaenidae,
with descriptions of new genera and species. Journal of the Linnean Society
of London, Zoology 12: 342-407; pp. 385-386. (Original description, as
Pheia gemmata.)

2. P. GEMMATA, n. sp.

Body black; frons conical, blue-green, crest blue-green; a blue-green spot
at base of primaries; a greenish blue spot at the back of thorax, first to
third and fifth to seventh segments of abdomen with lateral blue-green
spots: primaries hyaline-white; veins, a broad patch at apex, and a broad
border to outer margin black-brown; a subcostal orange line and a bifid
orange basi-internal patch; secondaries hyaline-white, veins, apex, and
outer margin black; costal area creamy ochraceous: body below dull black;
trochanters and femora of legs, metathorax and basal segments of abdomen
below, spotted with blue-green, two small lateral spots of the same colour
at anal extremity of abdomen; costa of wings golden yellow, otherwise as
above: expanse of wings 37 millims.

Santa Martha (Bouchard). Type, B.M.

Hampson, G. F. (1898). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, vol. 1, Syntomidae: pp. 237-238.

504. Cosmosoma gemmatum.

Pheia gemmata, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 385 (1876); id. Ill.
Het. i. p. 30, pl. 17. f. 5; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 139.

♀. Black; frons, vertex of head, tegulae, patagia, metathorax, sides of
thorax, coxae and femora with patches of brilliant metallic blue; abdomen
with subdorsal metallic blue spots on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th
segments, and sublateral spots on 2nd and 3rd segments. Fore wing hyaline;
the veins and margins black; a metallic blue spot at base; an orange streak
below costa to three fourths of wing and shorter streaks in cell and above
and below vein 1; the discocellulars slightly outlined with orange; the
terminal black area very broad at apex and broad at tornus. Hind wing with
orange on costa and inner margin; the terminal band broad at apex.

♂. Ventral surface of abdomen with paired yellow spots on 3rd segment.

Hab. Panama, Chiriqui, 1 ♂; Colombia, Sta. Marta, 1 ♀ (Bouchard), type.
Exp. 40 millim.

Draudt, M. (1915). Cosmosoma. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of
the World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges (English edition):
p. 76, pl. 13 i.

C. gemmatum Btlr. (13 i) is easily separable from the preceding very
similar species by the shorter orange costal-marginal stripe which does not
extend into the apex of the wing, which is here quite black, inwardly not
with an orange tint. Besides the metallic blue abdominal spots are large
and more intense, and are on all the segments, only on the 4th they may be
absent. The ♂ exhibits on the ventral side of the 3rd segment 2 yellow
spots. Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru (Cuzco). The species seems to
vary considerably. — f. xanthocera Hmps. (13 k) which was originally
described as a species and in fact looks very differently, according to
Klages who often found it in Venezuela, also in copula with gemmatum, is
only a form of it; both have the same habits. The palpi and antennae are
orange, the collar orange with blue and black spots, the shoulder-covers
with orange-stripes; also the thorax is posteriorly spotted orange; the
abdomen exhibits on the 3 first segments dorsal and lateral orange spots,
the 4th and 5th segments with orange bands. Occurs in Venezuela as well as
in the Amazon District.

The preceding species in Draudt is C. contractum (p. 76):

C. contractum Wkr. (13 i). This and the following species resemble each
other very much. The body is black; forehead and vertex, collar and
shoulder-covers, as well as metathorax and base of the forewing with
metallic blue spots; the abdomen shows on the 3 first rings bluish-green
silvery subdorsal and sublateral spots and on the 2 last segments blue
subdorsal spots. A characteristic of the species is that the orange
subcostal stripe extends into the black apex of the forewing and the orange
colour extends at the inner side of the apical spot down as far as about
the lower radial; proximal margin broad orange; the wings themselves are
somewhat yellowish. The teeth of the antennae orange. Brazil.