Delphyre flaviceps (Druce, 1905)

Druce, H. (1905). Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera from
tropical South America. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (7) 15:
459-466; pp. 463-464 (described as Neacerea flaviceps).

Neacerea flaviceps, sp. n.

Male. - Head yellow; antennae and palpi black, palpi yellow at the base;
collar, tegulae, thorax, and abdomen greyish black, underside of the abdomen
yellow; legs greyish black. Primaries brownish black; a semihyaline streak
from the base partly along the inner margin; a white band crosses the wing
beyond the cell from the costal to the outer margin: secondaries hyaline,
broadly bordered with black, shot with dark blue. Underside very similar to
the upperside.

Expanse 1 [fraction illegible in the scan] inch.

Hab. Venezuela, Corosita, Caura Valley (S. M. Klages, Mus. Druce).


Original description of the synonym Delphire klagesi:

Rothschild, W. (1912). New Syntomidae. Novitates Zoologicae 19: 151-186;
pp. 165-166, no. 72.

72. Delphire klagesi sp. nov.

Male. This is a near ally of testacea Druce, but much darker and more
distinctly marked. Pectus brown; underside of abdomen and basal joint of
palpi orange; head and antennae brown-grey; vertex orange; thorax and abdomen
brown-grey with very slight bluish gloss. - Forewing deep brown-grey with
paler patch below cell and a white oblique postdiscal band from subcosta to
vein 3 near termen. Hindwing black, strongly glossed with dark blue, a
median hyaline area.

Female similar, but entire head orange, and forewing yellowish grey-brown.

Length of forewing: 22 mm.

Hab. Aroewarwa Creek, Maroewym Valley, Surinam, April 1905 (type); La
Union, Caura River, March 1902; La Vuelta, Caura River, June 1903; Maripa,
Caura River (S. M. Klages); St. Laurent du Maroni, Cayenne (E. Le Moult);
Rio Demerara, British Guiana; Potaro, British Guiana; Calama, below Rio
Machados, Rio Madeira, August - October 1907; Allianca, below San Antonio,
Rio Madeira, November - December 1907 (W. Hoffmanns).


Hampson, G.F. (1914). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, Supplement vol. 1 (Amatidae and Arctiadae, Nolinae and Lithosianae):
p. 302, no. 1064 b, pl. XVII fig. 13.

Neacerea flaviceps, Druce, A. M. N. H. (7) xv. p. 468 [recte 463] (1905).
Delphire klagesi, Roths. Nov. Zool. xix. p. 165 (1912).

Male. Head and thorax dark grey with bluish black streaks; vertex of head,
base of palpi, and front of pectus orange-yellow; abdomen blue-black,
greyish at base, the ventral surface orange-yellow except at base and
extremity. Fore wing greyish fuscous, the veins black; an ill-defined
whitish streak below middle of cell; an oblique postmedial white band from
vein 7 to 3 near termen, the veins crossing it dark. Hind wing black, the
lower part of cell and area below and beyond it hyaline; a slight hyaline
streak at base of inner area.

Hab. Venezuela, Caura Valley (Klages), 4 males; La Union (Klages), type male
of klagesi in Coll. Rothschild. Exp. 42 millim.


Draudt, M. (1917). Delphyre. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of the
World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 167, two paragraphs
("D. flaviceps" and "D. klagesi"); pl. 30 b and the synonymy of klagesi added
in the Additions and Corrections, p. 212. (German edition: Die
Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 6: 167.)

Translated from the German original:

D. flaviceps Druce. Head, base of the palpi and ventral side yellow, palpi
and antennae black, the rest of the body greyish-blackish. The forewings are
brownish black, with a translucent streak at the base of the inner margin.
Behind the cell a white band crosses the wing from the costa to the outer
margin. The hindwings are hyaline, broadly bordered with black with a blue
sheen. Wingspan: 45 mm. Venezuela.

D. klagesi Rothsch. is very similar to testacea, but darker and more sharply
marked. The body is brown-grey with a blue sheen. The basal palpal joint and
the vertex orange, not olive-yellow. Forewings dark brown-grey; the proximal
patch lies only below the median. Hindwings blue-black, hyaline in the disc.
The female has an entirely orange-yellow head and lighter, yellowish
grey-brown forewings. Forewing length: 22 mm. Guiana; Venezuela.

The paragraph on testacea that klagesi is compared with (same work, p. 167,
pl. 24 f), translated from the German original:

D. testacea Druce (24 f) has brown forewings with a lighter patch in and
below the cell, only very faintly indicated by thinner scaling, and a
similar oblique band behind the cell, both much more distinct on the
underside. Hindwings translucent with a broad black border. The body is
grey-brown, first palpal joint and vertex olive-yellow; fore coxae and
venter orange. Guatemala and Panama.

Additions and Corrections (1917), p. 212:

P. 167, line 14 from above, to flaviceps add: (30 b) and as synonym: klagesi
Rothsch. of line 24.