Scientific Name : Grammia vs. Apantesis

[Don Lafontaine]

Hi Kurt:

Thought I'd pass along a few comments on the MONA check list (1983), Grammia
versus Apantesis, etc. First, the MONA check list "cut off" was about 1979 so
although the list was published in 1983 by Hodges et al. information published
in the early 1980's is missed. The Tortricid workers have done us all a service
in tracking changes to the check list and making an up-date available on the
Web (as Jim Kruse has pointed out already in his reply to you).

Changes to the North American check list are not ONLY through the MONA (Moths
of North America) volumes but are published in hundreds of places, even in
obscure journals in Russia (e.g. by me!) and unless you track the abstracting
journals it is very hard to keep up to date on all the changes, and even harder
to determine what to do when two people make different changes to the same
problem (which is why we have so much confusion in butterfly names). Louis
Handfields book on the Macrolepidoptera of Quebec has references to all of the
changes to Macrolepidoptera names up to last year for the northeastern US and
eastern Canada, and a check list of the Lepidoptera of Quebec that he produced
two years ago tracks name changes for all the northeastern Lepidoptera - with
references.

As for the Grammia question, Kenelm (below) gives the pertinent Ferguson
reference but doesn't explain what happened. Yes Grammia is a more recently
proposed name that Apantesis so it is listed in the 1983 check list but as a
synonym of Apantesis. When Doug did his revision of the genera of the Tiger
Moth tribe Arctiini in 1985 in the journal Entomography he discovered that what
we had been calling Apantesis was several distinct genera based mainly on
differences in the genitalia. In this reclassification, most of the North
American "Apantesis" were transferred to Grammia, which although a younger
name, now had validity since it was no longer treated as the same thing as
Apantesis. The only Apantesis that remained as "true" Apantesis was an eastern
North American group that included nais, phyllira, and vittata and a fourth
species that Doug named in the revision.

Unfortunately, although several Lepidopterists have been tracking name changes
to the MONA check list, no one has felt that they are comprehensive enough in
it, or has the time, to make it generally available on the web.  We can only
envy the way the tortricid workers have got their act together .....

Don

Bye the way, the genera below should be Eutolype and Psaphida!!!


Kurt Jacobs wrote:

> Thanks for the clarification.  I also know many Eulotype were switched to
> Psadypha.  The only reason that I know this is because of Don Lafontaines
> note following the identification of an image of rolandi.
>
> Is there an errata or supplement to the Checklist of Lepidoptera of America
> North of Mexico (Hodges et al., 1983)?  I realize that the MONA fascicles
> will detail any changes, but the quick checklist guide is very handy for
> verification of spellings, authors, dates, and classification.  Being that
> it is nearly 20 years old and much new work has emerged, possibly a list of
> changes and additions is available??
>
> Kurt Jacobs
>
> "Kenelm Philip" <fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu> wrote in message
> news:Pine.OSF.4.21.0005101701110.14790-100000 at aurora.uaf.edu...
> >
> > _Apantesis_ (1855) is an older name, not a newer one than _Grammia_
> > (1866). See the following paper:
> >
> > Ferguson, Douglas C., 1985. 'Contributions toward reclassification of the
> > world genera of the tribe Arctiini, Part 1 -- Introduction and a revision
> > of the _Neoarctia-Grammia_ group (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae; Arctiinae).
> > Entomography 3:181-275.
> >
> > The following quotes from that paper are relevant:
> >
> > "Diagnosis. _Grammia_ is a mainly nearctic genus of about 30 species,
> > two of which, _qenseli_...and _turbans_..., also occur in the Palearctic
> > Region. It is the largest genus of Arctiidae in North America. _Grammia_,
> > _Notarctia_, and _Apantesis_ form a group of three essentially American
> > genera..."
> >
> > "Included species. I include in the genus _Grammia_ all of the species
> > under _Apantesis_ from number 8172 (_quenseli_) to 8199 (_arge_) in the
> > _Check List of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico_ (Franclemont,
> > 1983:117) with the exception of 8181 (_proxima_), which I tgransfer to
> > _Notarctia_. Also included are two new species which I describe below."
> >
> > The checklist referred to is the MONA checklist, Hodges et al. Both
> > _parthenice_ and _virguncula_ occur within the range of numbers listed.
> >
> > Ken Philip
> > fnkwp at auf.edu
> >
> >