Bertholdia zoenia Beccacece

Beccacece, Hernan Mario, 2017, A new species of the genus Bertholdia Schaus, 1896 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from the Neotropical region: Bertholdia zoenia sp. n., Zootaxa 4238 (1) : -

Bertholdia zoenia Beccacece , new species

Fig. 1, 2 , 8, 9, 10, 14 , 16–21

Type material. Holotype male: Argentina, Misiones, Parque Provincial Esmeralda , 505 m, 18–I–2012, S 26°53'39'' W 53°52'44'', H. Beccacece, A. Zapata, G. San Blas, E. Drewniak & N. Villafañe leg. [ MZUC] . Paratypes (7 males and 3 females): 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero , 610 m, 21–X– 2010, S 26°31'12'' W 53°59'12'', H. Beccacece, F. Navarro & A. Chalup leg. [ MZUC] . 2 males: Argentina, Misiones, Parque Provincial Esmeralda , 505 m, 17–I–2012, S 26°53'39'' W 53°52'44'', H. Beccacece, A. Zapata, G. San Blas, E. Drewniak & N. Villafañe leg. [ MZUC] . 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, Ruta 27, Km 19 – NE San Pedro, 585 m, 30–X–2012, S 26°37'46.6'' W 53°55'21.5'', H. Beccacece, A. Zapata, F. Navarro, E. Drewniak, N. Villafañe & A. Chalup leg. [ MZUC] . 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, Pozo Azul, Ruta 17, 30–X–2004, U. Drechsel leg. [ BVC] . 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, Dos de Mayo , 500m, U. Drechsel leg. [ BVC] . 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, D[epartamento] Candelaria, L. N. Alem, XI –[19]53, Gaitopulo leg. (dissected, prep. number: ARC 00009- MACN) [ MACN] . 1 female: Argentina, Misiones, San Pedro, 576 m, 27–X–2012, S 26°36' W 54°06', H. Beccacece, A. Zapata A., F. Navarro, E. Drewniak, N. Villafañe & A. Chalup leg [ MZUC] . 1 female: Argentina, Misiones, Ruta 27, Km 26.3—NE San Pedro, 585 m, 27–X–2012, S 26°36' W 54°06', H. Beccacece, A. Zapata, F. Navarro, E. Drewniak, N. Villafañe & A. Chalup leg. [ MZUC] . 1 male: Argentina, Misiones, Dep . Concepción – Sta. María, I –[1]953, M. J. Viana leg. (dissected, prep. number: ARC 00010- MACN) [ MACN] .

Additional images examined. 2 males: Brazil, S[ão] Paulo, Juquiá (Fonte Tapir), 3-XI- [1]940, 2535 L. Travassos & L. Travassos filho leg. (specimens number 2,534 and 2,535) [ IOC] . 1 female: Brazil, Paraná, Ponta Grossa , Paraná, 12-IX- [1]938. Camargo de Andrade leg. (specimen number 15,876) [ IOC] .

Etymology. The species is named after my daughter and wife first names: Zoe and Eugenia = zoenia .

Diagnosis. This new species can be recognized externally because the distal hyaline spot of forewing is the biggest among all species of the genus. Also, the shape of this spot is like a right triangle with outer margin slightly curved and smooth, different to all species with different shape and outer margin irregular and creased. It is similar to B. myosticta ( Fig. 3–7 , 11–13, 15 ), but can be recognized because the outer margin of hyaline spot is smoother and regular, tip of saccus shorter, valves bigger, apical process narrower and less concave, apical finger-like process longer and uncus longer.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1, 2 ). (n=6). Head. Brown dorsally. Front with pinkish hair between margins of scapes. Scapes white dorsally and brown ventrally. Antennae brown, except for the lateral of proximal third and all distal third, both white greyish. Pectinations white greyish, short, uniform in lenght. Palpi brown dorsally and white ventrally, the third segment shorter than the second segment. Thorax. Dorsally brown and ventrally white. Patagia and tegulae brown with white margins, white part more pronounced along inner margin of patagia. Legs. Proximal and distal thirds white, medial portion brown, except for dorsal surface of forefemora crimson. Forewings —length of 14.5–16.5mm (n=6). Dorsally predominantly brown, lighter brown under discal cell and slightly whitish outer margin. Distal hyaline spot right triangle shaped with dark brown spots on wing veins, the three more conspicuous on M2 nerve. Outer margin of the hyaline spot smooth and regular. A tiny white rounded proximal spot, and another, more conspicuous, on subproximal portion of anal vein. A dark brown line surrounding outer margin. Ventral surface with discal cell crimson, and predominantly covered with white scales on corresponding brown-scaled dorsal surface; androconia ovoid, close to the base of wing and under discal cell ( Fig. 20 ). Hindwings —length of 9.5–10.5mm (n=6). Semihyaline, white with inner margin reddish and tornus with diffuse greyish. Ventrally white except for costa brownish. Abdomen. Dorsally crimson. Ventrally white. Pleura white with a black spot on each pleurite. Sclerotized apodemes of tergite and sternite present on eighth abdominal segment thin and rounded, respectively ( Fig. 17, 18 ). Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 – 10 , 19 ). Uncus completely setose, rounded basally, then thin, slightly curved ventrally and laterally in the middle and rounded at the tip. Tegumen thin. Vinculum rounded ribbon-shaped. Saccus tapering at the tip and slightly curved to the right side. Juxta absent. Anellus sclerotized. Manica membranous. Asymmetrical sclerotized valves, wide at the base and shorter than uncus. Sacculus and costa fused. Apical process width with a concave apex. Apical finger-like process short. Process of right valve longer, twice as long as left. Aedeagus curved, long and thin tapering at the tip; caecum developed and rounded. Vesica membranous with a patch slightly sclerotized distally, with a long tube when vesica is fully everted ( Fig. 14 , 19 ).

Female. Externally as male except for the following characters: Forewings —length 16–20mm. Hindwings — length of 10–11.5mm (n=3). Tornus with greyish more pronounced. Female genitalia (Fig. 16, 21). Papillae anales trapezoid and setose. Pseudopapillae anales conspicuous. Anterior and posterior apophyses with same length. Pheromone glands longer than wide, unbranched, reaching anterior margin of seventh abdominal segment. Eighth sternite partially divided mid–ventrally. Ductus bursae sclerotized and longer than wide, distal part creased. Corpus bursae oval, membranous, proximal area creased. Signum ovoid, present on middle-left surface ( Fig. 21 ). Bulla seminalis with a single chamber, oval, smaller than corpus bursae.

Distribution and biology. Bertholdia zoenia sp. n. has a restricted distribution in South America from eastern Brazil (Travassos 1948; 1950) to northeastern Argentina and center Paraguay ( Fig. 22 ). Adults have been collected from 3 to 610m above the sea level. The habitat is rain forest lowlands of Atlantic forest. On the other hand, B. myosticta has a restricted distribution principally in Mesoamerica from south of Mexico to Costa Rica ( Fig. 22 ). This species occurs from 300 to 1,800m. The habitat is rain and cloud forest. Moreover, there are records of B. myosticta in South America from Colombia to Bolivia, reaching more than 2,000m elevation in Ecuador ( Rothschild 1910; Süßenbach 2003), where the habitat is principally cloud forest from Los Andes mountains.

However, these records in South America are most likely misidentified specimens. The life cycle and host plants of B. zoenia sp. n. and B. myosticta are unknown. It is necessary further studies of life cycle not only with species of Bertholdia but also with most of the Arctiinae species.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Distribution map of Bertholdia zoenia sp. n. and Bertholdia myosticta Hampson. Yellow triangles = B. zoenia sp. n. Red circles = B. myosticta.

FIGURES 1 – 7. Adult dorsal and ventral view. 1 – 2. Bertholdia zoenia sp. n. 3 – 4. Bertholdia myosticta Hampson, male from Costa Rica (specimen labeled INB 0004312781). 5 – 6. Bertholdia myosticta Hampson male holotype. 7. Bertholdia myosticta holotype labels.

FIGURES 8 – 15. Male genitalia of Bertholdia zoenia sp. n. (paratype) and Bertholdia myosticta (specimen labeled INBIOCRI 002234884). 8 – 10. Ventral, dorsal and lateral view of B. zoenia sp. n. 11 – 13. Ventral, dorsal and lateral view of B. myosticta. 14. Lateral view of B. zoenia sp. n. aedeagus. 15. Lateral view of B. myosticta aedeagus. FIGURE 16. Female genitalia ventral view of B. zoenia sp. n. (paratype).

FIGURES 17 – 21. Special details of Bertholdia zoenia sp. n. 17. View of eight terguite with apodemes. 18. View of eight sternite with apodemes. 19. Aedeagus with everted vesica. 20. Androconia present on forewings. 21. Detail of signum present in corpus bursae.