Xanthyda chalcosticta (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; p. 387. (Original description,
as Cosmosoma chalcosticta.)

4. C. chalcosticta, n. sp.
Glaucopis (Poecilosoma) pheres, var., Walker, Lep. Het. i. p. 162. n. 38.
Para (Bates). Type, B.M.
Easily distinguished from the preceding species by the bright brassy-
instead of blue-green spots on the body, and the broader black apical
patch in primaries.

The "preceding species" is Butler's no. 3, C. pheres (= Sphinx pheres
Cramer; Laemocharis metallescens Menetries). The variety of Walker that
Butler's name rests on is described thus (Walker, F. (1854). List of
the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British
Museum, Part I: p. 162, under 38. Glaucopis pheres):

Var.? Atra; caput album, vertice aureo-viridi; thorax aureo-viridi
bivittatus; abdomen e maculis aureo-viridibus trivittatum, maculis albis
bivittatum; alae limpidae nigro marginatae, anticae nigro fasciatae;
pedes albo varii.

Deep black. Head white, vertex, four stripes on the thorax and scutellum
golden green. Wings limpid; veins, borders, tips and apical side of the
discal areolet black. Abdomen with three rows of golden-green spots, and
on each side with a row of white spots. Femora green; fore coxae white
on one side; posterior tarsi mostly white. Length of the body 4 1/2-5
lines; of the wings 13-14 lines.

a-d. Para. From Mr. Bates' collection.
e, f. Rio Janeiro. From Mr. Stevens' collection.


Hampson, G. F. (1898). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the
British Museum, vol. 1, Syntomidae: p. 239. (As Cosmosoma metallescens,
with chalcosticta in the synonymy.)

509. Cosmosoma metallescens.

Laemocharis metallescens, Men. Cat. Lep. Pet. ii. p. 188, pl. 14. f. 1
(1857); Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 140.
Laemocharis chalcosticta, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 387
(1876).

Black; frons, fore coxae, and extremities of tarsi white; vertex of head
and thorax with patches of metallic blue; abdomen with dorsal and
lateral series of large metallic blue spots; a pair of lateral white
spots on 2nd segment; wings hyaline, the veins and margins black. Fore
wing with metallic blue spots at base below costa and above inner
margin; the apical area very broadly black; the terminal band expanding
at tornus. Hind wing with the terminal band expanding at apex and
tornus.

Hab. Mexico, Tabasco (H. H. Smith), 1 male, Godman-Salvin Coll.;
Amazons, Para, 1 male, 3 females, Villa Nova (Bates), 1 female type
chalcosticta. Exp. 32 millim.


Draudt, M. (1915). Cosmosoma. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera
of the World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 77, pl. 13 k.
(As C. metallescens, with chalcosticta in the synonymy.)

C. metallescens Men. (= pheres var. Wkr., chalcosticta Btlr.) (13 k).
Black, head, thorax and abdomen on the dorsum and on the sides with
metallic bluish-green spots. Forehead, forehips and ends of tarsi white.
Distinguished from the similar species by the intense golden green
reflection of the metallic spots, as well as by a white spot at the
sides of the 2nd abdominal segment, from xanthostictum (13 l)
particularly by the white forehead. From Mexico, Panama, Amazon, Para.


Zerny, H. (1931). Ergebnisse einer zoologischen Sammelreise nach
Brasilien, insbesondere in das Amazonasgebiet. VII. Teil. Lepidoptera
III: Die Syntomiden des Staates Para. Annalen des Naturhistorischen
Museums in Wien 45: pp. 235-236. Translated from the German original.

53. Cosmosoma chalcostictum Butl. (pheres var.? Wlk., metallescens
Hamps. p. p. nec Men.).

Taperinha, V, one male in coll. Hagmann. - Para (Bates).
Other distribution: Panama: Chiriqui (Ribbe, Mus. Wien), French Guiana,
Amazonas: Parintins (Bates), S. Felippe on the Rio Jurua 21. XII. 01
(Garbe in coll. Fetterle, Mus. Wien).

C. chalcostictum Butl. is without doubt specifically distinct from
metallescens Men.; Hampson's description fits the former species; the
latter differs by the inwardly more strongly rounded boundary of the
black apical patch of the fore wings, the absence of the white lateral
spots on the 2nd segment, and by white median spots on the underside of
the abdominal segments. Metallescens Men. was described from "Brazil"
and is before me from Bahia (Kamerlacher 1818) and Santa Catharina:
Jaragua (F. Hoffmann 1930).