Redescription of Rhodostrophia lenis Wiltshire 1966 and R. vartianae Wiltshire, 1966, with new distributional data (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Sterrhinae)

Abstract

The geometrid moth genus Rhodostrophia Hübner, 1823 belongs to the subfamily Sterrhinae, which presently contains 73 species (Parsons et al. 1999, Sihvonen & Nupponen 2005, Trusch & Hausmann 2007). The genus ranges from Europe, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to Taiwan, with focal diversity in western and central Asia; three species occur in Chile (Trusch & Hausmann 2007). Diagnostic characters for Rhodostrophia include: forewing with double areole (cf. fig. 11), R2–R4 stalked, R5 from apex of second areole; hindwing with Rs and M1 stalked, M3 and CuA1 usually separate; long quadripectinate male antenna with four thin branches arising from each flagellomer (pectinations reaching antennal tip); frons slightly convex, length of palpi equal to or slightly exceeding diameter of eye (Hausmann 2004; venation terminology after Scoble 1995).