Pryteria costata

DISTRIBUTION: C. & S. America.
TYPE LOCALITY: Surinam.
BELIZE RECORDS: Maya Beach.
METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION: by comparison with the figures below (but see further notes). Comte Hervé de Toulgoët has confirmed this identification.
NOTES: P. costata is illustrated in black and white in Möschler’s (1883) original description, on pl. 18, fig. 27. However, unlike my Belize specimen, the postdiscal bar in Möschler's illustration runs across the wing completely. P. semicostalis Rothschild, which appears almost identical to P. costata, is illustrated by Hampson (1920) pl. 46, fig. 19 and Seitz (1925) pl. 52, fig. f3. A third species, P. apicella Strand (illustrated by Hampson (1920) on pl. 46 fig. 18 as P. albiapicalis Hampson, and by Seitz (1925) pl. 52, fig. f4), is similar in terms of ground colour being chocolate brown and having a cream-white costal band, narrowing apically, but instead of having a cream-coloured postdiscal bar has the whole of the forewing apex filled in with cream-white. It seems likely that these are all forms of one very variable species, whose name - through prior date of publication - would be P. costata Möschler.

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