Geometrinae

Abstract: Four moth species are grouped in the genus Paromphacodes today. We add descriptions of further five new species: Paromphacodes alticola sp. nov., P. alpha sp. nov., P. onae sp. nov., P. spina sp. nov. and P . summita sp. nov. The species are confined to the paramo biome on summits of Andean volcanoes and were collected on five mountains. The case of the three first named species shows that the deep COI barcode splitting does not affect morphological diversification. The differentiation of P. alticola, P. alpha and P. onae is explained in association with orogeny of Andes and repeated periods of the local active volcanism.

Abstract: The genus Metaterpna is revised. The two species known, M. differens (Warren, 1909) and M. thyatiraria (Oberthur, 1913), are redescribed, with emphasis on the considerable variability of M. thyatiraria , and the status of the related type specimen was discussed. In addition, one new species, M. batangensis sp. nov., is described from Batang and Daocheng, Sichuan province, and Lijiang, Yunnan province, southwestern China. M. thyatiraria and M. batangensis show clear distance by DNA barcode sequences. Illustrations of moths and genitalia are presented.

Abstract: Background: The moth family Geometridae (inchworms or loopers), with approximately 23 000 described species, is the second most diverse family of the Lepidoptera. Apart from a few recent attempts based on morphology and molecular studies, the phylogeny of these moths has remained largely uninvestigated. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed a rigorous and extensive molecular analysis of eight genes to examine the geometrid affinities in a global context, including a search for its potential sister-taxa. Our maximum likelihood analyses included 164 taxa distributed worldwide, of which 150 belong to the Geometridae. The selected taxa represent all previously recognized subfamilies and nearly 90% of recognized tribes, and originate from all over world. We found the Geometridae to be monophyletic with the Sematuridae+Epicopeiidae clade potentially being its sister-taxon. We found all previously recognized subfamilies to be monophyletic, with a few taxa misplaced, except the Oenochrominae+Desmobathrinae complex that is a polyphyletic assemblage of taxa and the Orthostixinae, which was positioned within the Ennominae. The Sterrhinae and Larentiinae were found to be sister to the remaining taxa, followed by Archiearinae, the polyphyletic assemblage of Oenochrominae+Desmobathrinae moths, Geometrinae and Ennominae. Conclusions/Significance: Our study provides the first comprehensive phylogeny of the Geometridae in a global context. Our results generally agree with the other, more restricted studies, suggesting that the general phylogenetic patterns of the Geometridae are now well-established. Generally the subfamilies, many tribes, and assemblages of tribes were well supported but their interrelationships were often weakly supported by our data. The Eumeleini were particularly difficult to place in the current system, and several tribes were found to be para- or polyphyletic.

Abstract: The genus Lissochlora was described by Warren (1900) and revised by Pitkin (1993) with respect to the fauna of Costa Rica. Lissochlora has a small spur or kink to its aedeagus and is distinguished from related genera by the absence of basal costal process of the valva in the male genitalia, which is present in Nemoria Hubner, Rhodochlora Warren and Paromphacodes Warren (Pitkin 1993, 1996). Paromphacodes, Lissochlora and Nemoria cluster together, sharing a bilobed eighth sternite and the presence of a costal sclerite or ornamentation on the valva (Viidalepp 2017). Usually species of Lissochlora have a shorter uncus in the male genitalia than that of related genera, and the last abdominal sternite of the male is usually shorter than the corresponding tergite (Viidalepp 2017).