Hagnagora anicata (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)

Sullivan, J. Bolling, 2011, Two new species of the Hagnagora anicata complex (Geometridae, Larentiinae) from Costa Rica, ZooKeys 149, pp. 17-29 : 18-19

Hagnagora anicata (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875) Fig. 1

Heterusia anicata Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875, pl.130, fig. 13.

Type material.

Bogota, [Colombia]. A male specimen in BMNH labeled as ‘type’ is here designated as the lectotype (Fig. 1).

Description and diagnosis.

The maculation of Hagnagora anicata is shown in Fig 1a. A cream white band originates on the costa near the midpoint and runs diagonally to ward a point 1/3 above the tornus, rounds off and ends without touching the margin. Distal to this band is dark brown scaling to the wing apex. Proximal to the band is dark brown scaling which becomes brighter toward the wing base. At the terminus of the wing veins are small white crescents which are usually worn off in flown specimens. The hindwing is the brownish color of the forewing base and with larger marginal crescents at the vein termini. The underside (Fig. 1b) is repeated with some slight variation in most Hagnagora species. This maculation pattern is seen over almost the entire range (Jamaica and Mexico to Bolivia and Venezuela), with minor modification of the width of the white band. All have been referred to as Hagnagora anicata .

The male genitalia are similar to those of Hagnagora marionae ( Brehm and Sullivan 2005) and several characters are important. The uncus tapers evenly ending in a slight hook. Large hair brushes on the inner face of the valva (Fig. 1b) often obscure details of the valva, as often seen in species of another larentiine genus, Hydriomena Hübner. However, in Hagnagora anicata the costal edge of the valva is sclerotized and terminates in a well-defined point extending dorsad at the distal margin of the valva. The anal edge of the valva is swollen, stippled with small dots but not well sclerotized. The median area of the valve is unsclerotized and serves as the anchor point for the large hair brush. A smaller hair brush originates subterminally just below the costa. The juxta appears as a broad, slightly sclerotized plate and the anellus is broadened but not medially joined. The saccus is unsclerotized and u-shaped. The aedeagus is similar to that of Hagnagora marionae and the vesica has two dorsal, granulated wing-like projections but no cornutus.

Beside the lectotype there is a female from Bogota in the collections at the BMNH but its wing length is only 18 mm, i.e. smaller than that of the male lectotype. Because all known females of Hagnagora species are larger than their respective males, this female is not considered to be a female of Hagnagora anicata . Because there are at least two other species occurring in Colombia with maculation extremely similar to Hagnagora anicata (Sullivan, unpubl. data), it would be best to obtain fresh male and female specimens from near Bogota for barcode sequencing to be sure of correctly associating a female as Hagnagora anicata .