Wu Kau Tang, 9/Jun/08

[ Last edited by  hkmoths at 2016-2-28 21:40 ]

Bombycidae, Prismostictinae - Prismosticta tiretta / hyalinata

There remains some taxonomic uncertainty on this at the species and family level.

cheers,  Roger.

The HK species is hyalinata

Wang, Huang & Wang, 2011. Notes on the genus Prismosticta (Lepidoptera, Bombycidae) with description of a new species from China. Zootaxa 2895: 65–68.

The genus is now placed in Endromidae (!) and Prismostictinae regarded as a junior synonym thereof.

Zwick et al., 2011.  Increased gene sampling yields robust support for higher-level clades within Bombycoidea (Lepidoptera). Systematic Entomology 36: 31–43.

[ Last edited by  hkmoths at 2016-2-19 14:29 ]

Prismosticta hyalinata, 1885: Chu & Wang, 1993 is treated as a misidentific ation of P. microprisma Zolothuhin & Witt, 2009.   Apparently true P. hyalinata is yet to be confirmed from HK.

both species were treated in the Wang et al paper I mentioned. Both papers post-date the Zolotuhin & Witt paper.

Wang et al . . . http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt02895p068.pdf
Zwick et al abstract is available at (e.g.) https://www.researchgate.net/pub ... stematic_Entomology

Zolotuhin & Witt do not mention hyalinata. They describe microprisma from material that had been attributed to tiretta Swinhoe, 1903.

based on distribution, hyalinata is possibly the more likely candidate, though Mell took microprisma in Guangzhou. HK specimens match, on external morphology, the description of both hyalinata and microprisma!
Here's one I saw last November, that I originally placed under hyalinata,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hkmoths/22926040202/
but revisiting it, and taking a second look at the key in Wang et al, as well as the description in Zolotuhin & Witt, I think further investigation is necessary; microprisma can't be ruled out.  Perhaps both species occur in HK?
More material is needed to sort out this issue.

Thx, Nadia, for highlighting this issue.

[ Last edited by  hkmoths at 2016-2-28 21:37 ]