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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Noctuidae 931675 – 9774   Cyptonychia thoracica (Edwards, 1884)

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Taxonomic: Notes Cyptonychia thoracica (Edwards, 1884) (the type species of Chichimeca Hogue, 1963) includes as a synonym Cryptonychia flaviceps Druce, 1899 (the type species of the genus Cyptonychia Druce, 1899) in Watson et al. (1980). This resulted in the synonymy of the respective genera which was maintained until Poole (1995) synonymized Chichimeca with Chrysoecia Hampson, 1908 with no mention of Cryptonychia or the status of flaviceps. Meanwhile, the synonymy of the two species was apparently overlooked by all subsequent authors including Keegan et al. (2026) who transferred all the species formerly in genus Chichimeca back to Cryptonychia. As there is no evidence that treatment of flaviceps in Watson et al. was intentionally overturned, we list it here as a synonym of thoracica. In a further complication, Cyptonychia was erroneously listed in in Pohl & Nanz (eds.) (2023) as a synonym of Chrysoecia; neither have ever been treated as invalid. Synonymy: thoracica (Edwards, 1884) (Eulithosia) - MONA 1983: 9774; TL: Arizona. Note: n. comb. (Keegan et al. 2026), was formerly in the genus Chrysoecia; type species of the genus Chichimeca Hogue, 1963. flaviceps Druce, 1899 (Cyptonychia); TL: Mexico. Note: type species of Cyptonychia; treated as a synonym of thoracica in Watson et al. (1980). Similar  : Species Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Druce, H., 1899. Descriptions of some new species of Heterocera from Tropical America, Africa, India, and the Eastern Islands. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, (ser. 7) 3: 467. Edwards, H., 1884. Some new forms of North American moths. Papilio: The organ of the New York Entomological Club, 4(3): 44. Hampson, G.F., 1900. Catalogue of the Arctiadae (Nolinae, Lithosinae) in the collection of the British Museum. Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum, 2: 253. Poole, R. W., 1995. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 26.1: p. 119; pl. 4.9-10. order or free PDF Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at iNaturalist Watson, A., D.S. Fletcher & I.W.B. Nye, 1980. Noctuoidea (part): Arctiidae, Cocytiidae, Ctenuchidae, Dilobidae, Dioptidae, Lymantriidae, Notodontidae, Strepsimanidae, Thaumetopoeidae, Thyretidae. The Generic Names of Moths of the World, 2: 36, 49.

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