Psilocladia Warren 1898
Creators: name: Singh, Manpreet
name: Lenka, Rajesh
name: Chatterjee, Pallab
name: Singh, Navneet
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Geometridae
Psilocladia

description: Genus Psilocladia Warren, 1898
Psilocladia Warren, 1898, Novit. Zool. 5: 40.
TS: Psilocladia obliquata Warren, 1898, Novit. Zool. 5: 40, by monotypy (TL: Northdene, Natal [South Africa])
Diagnosis: The genus Psilocladia is closely related to an African genus Xenimpia Warren, 1895, but can be diagnosed by its simple and lamellate antennae in both sexes. In male genitalia, Psilocladia features a simple, elongated valva without any sclerotized structures, a pair of elongated furca (symmetrical or asymmetrical) with bulbous base, a slender and elongated aedeagus with a weakly sclerotized patch on vesica. The female genitalia exhibit a distinct large signum. In contrast, the females of Xenimpia have simple antennae and males have pectinated antennae. The male genitalia of Xenimpia display a short valva with sclerotized structures; furca absent; a small and broad aedeagus with one or two long cornuti in vesica. Female genitalia display a sclerotized patch but lacks signum.
Superficially, Psilocladia also resembles Zanclopera Warren, 1894 and Triginoptila Warren, 1894, currently, junior synonyms of an Indian genus Krananda Moore, 1868 but Psilocladia can be easily diagnosed from Krananda by its antennal morphology (Warren 1898; Jiang et al. 2017). Besides this, Psilocladia and Krananda belong to different tribes, i.e., Gonodontini and Boarmiini, respectively, which exhibit distinct characteristics (Holloway 1993 [1994]; Murillo-Ramos et al. 2019).
Distribution: South Africa, Malawi, Congo, Kenya, Cameroon (Warren 1898; Prout 1915, 1923; Staude & Murphy 2011), India (New record).
Identification key to the currently known species of Psilocladia
1. In forewing, outer marginal area characterized by fulvous area with a distinct small light subapical spot................. 2
• In forewing, outer marginal area without any fulvous area and light subapical spot.................................. 3
2. In forewing, an elongated pale subapical spot present; Hindwing with deeper excision on termen near apex between Rs and M3, with no protrusion in the middle................................................................. P. diaereta
• In forewing, a small, pale subapical spot present; Hindwing with less excision on termen near apex with a slight protrusion in the middle on vein M1....................................................................... P. loxostigma
3. In hindwing, postmedial line dark brown, distinct and clearly defined............................................ 4
• In hindwing, postmedial line represented by series of dark brown spots on each veins...................... P. repudiosa
4. In forewing, medial line partially doubled between the inner margin to lower edge of the cell, then continues as single, obliquely straight towards the costal margin............................................................... P. obliquata
• In forewing, medial line broad, not doubled between the inner margin to lower edge of cell, then is display an inward curve towards the costal margin.................................................................. P. indica sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Singh, Manpreet, Lenka, Rajesh, Chatterjee, Pallab & Singh, Navneet, 2025, A new species of genus Psilocladia Warren from India, bridging the boundaries of Africa and Asia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae), pp. 316-324 in Zootaxa 5594 (2) on pages 317-323, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5594.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/14954388