Corybantes delopia

Corybantes delopia, sometimes spelled Corybantes dolopia, is a species of moth in the family Castniidae, the butterfly moths and sun moths. This moth is found in Ecuador.

Corybantes delopia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Castniidae
Genus:	Corybantes
Species:	C. delopia
Binomial name
Corybantes delopia (Druce 1907)

Taxonomy

Corybantes delopia was first formally described as Castnia dolopia by entomologist Herbert Druce in 1907, with its type location given as Los Llanos, Ecuador. Castnia fusca was described as a separate species by entomologist Constant Houlbert, but was later reclassified and merged with Castnia delopia in 1917. In 1995, the species was moved to the genus Corybantes by Gerardo Lamas.

Etymology

The name of the genus Corybantes comes from the Greek word Korybantes (Ancient Greek: Κορύβαντες), a group of dancers who worshipped the Phrygian goddess Cybele. The specific epithet, delopia, comes from the mountainous region of Greece, Dolopia (Ancient Greek: Δολοπία).

Description

Like the other members of the family of Castniidae, Corybantes delopia looks very much like a butterfly. The females of this species have a dark brown head, collar, and thorax, as well as dark brown tegulae. The abdomen is black, as well as the antennae. The tips of the antennae are a pale brown color. The forewings are dark brown glossed with green, with a large, grayish-brown spot at the end of the cell. A series of dull grayish-brown spots edged with black crosses the wing from near the apex. Two lunar-shaped black marks are located beneath the spots on the inner margin. The hindwings are black, with the base shot with blueish-green. A row of brownish-white spots crosses the wing from near the anal angle almost reaching the apex. The fringe is a brownish-white color. The underside of both the forewings and hindwings is pale brown, with all the spots more distinct and edged with black.