Taxonomy | Geometridae | Geometrinae (again!) | genus Maxates

Following on from the post on the Berta complex, here are more geometrine issues.

The genus Maxates (=Gelasma) has many species in Hong Kong, with at least two complexes that comprise species not reliably separable in the field.

These two complexes are now represented by taxon entries on the iNat database......

First up: hemitheoides / lactipuncta / microdonta
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/980867-Maxates-hemitheoides-lactipuncta-microdonta
The species in this group are similar in size, with lactipuncta supposedly slightly smaller than the other two. All are about the same size as Hemithea tritonaria, though there is no abdominal "bird dropping" dorsal blotch, the wing margin has a fine green terminal fascia that is pretty much concolorous with the ground colour and white or pale marginal dots, the largest dot being in the hindwing caudal tail. There is a caveat (when isn't there!!) - the forewing costa for these three species as illustrated in Fauna Sinica Insecta 54 all show a green costa with yellow flecks. In some of the Hong Kong individuals, there is a form that has a yellow costa with green flecks..... It is not yet known if this phenotype actually belongs in this complex. For now, observations of either form should be assigned to the complex. All three species (as described) are only reliably identifiable by the internal reproductive morphology or molecular analysis.

Second complex: quadripunctata / subtaminata / submacularia
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/980918-Maxates-quadripunctata-subtaminata-submacularia
The three species in this complex are large - about the same size as M. coelataria or perhaps a little bigger. All three have a fine black terminal fascia. M. quadripunctata has a dark discal spot on the f/w, strong tail, ventral wing surface with dark patches on f/w tornus and h/w apex, larger on f/w; M. subtaminata no/weak f/w discal spot, ventral dark patches stronger on h/w, less on f/w; M. submacularia almost identical to subtaminata on external morphology, just a bit bigger.

Publicado el 20 de diciembre de 2019 por hkmoths