Aethria aner aner Hampson, 1905

Cock, Matthew J. W. & Laguerre, Michel, 2022, Taxonomic changes in the Neotropical wasp moths, Euchromiina and Ctenuchina (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) relating to the fauna of Trinidad & Tobago, with descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 5222 (2), pp. 101-132 : 122

Aethria aner aner Hampson, 1905

Figs. 32–37 .

Hampson 1905: Aethria aner, TL Venezuela.

Kaye 1925: Aethria jacksoni, TL Trinidad, new synonym

Hampson (1905) described A. aner from two males from Caura Valley, Venezuela, and we have examined these syntypes in NHMUK ( Fig. 32 ). Kaye (1925) described Aethria jacksoni from a specimen collected in Trinidad without locality or date by F.W. Jackson, and we have examined the holotype in MGCL (ex W.J. Kaye coll.) ( Fig. 33 ), and note that it is a female. Fleming (1959) recorded a male A. aner from Trinidad and suggested that A. jacksoni is probably the female of A. aner , but not having seen any females of A. jacksoni from Trinidad he did not make them synonyms.

We have examined both sexes from Trinidad ( Figs. 34–37 ). As stated by Hampson (1905) in his description of A. aner , the ‘palpi in front, side of frons, basal joint of antennae below, and patches on shoulders and fore and hind coxae white’, and abdomen ‘ventral surface of first three segments white, followed by slight sublateral spots and a spot at base of anal tuft’. These are characters of the male ( Figs. 32 , 34 , 36 ), but they are not mentioned by Kaye (1925) in his description of the female, and are not found in that sex, although Kaye (1925) does mention ‘abdomen below with large paired white spots on first three segments ( Figs. 35 , 37 ). We conclude that Fleming was correct, and that the female A. jacksoni Kaye, 1925 is a new synonym of male A. aner Hampson, 1905 .

Figures

FIGURE 32. Male type of Aethria aner [NHMUK]. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, made available under Creative Commons License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

FIGURE 33. Female holotype of Aethria jacksoni Kaye, Trinidad, F.W. J[ackson] [MGCL, ex coll. W.J. Kaye].

FIGURE 34. Male Aethria aner, Trinidad, W.I., Las Lomas, Spanish Farm, to Heliotropium, 27.ix.1981 (M.J.W. Cock) [MJWC]

FIGURE 35. Female Aethria aner, Trinidad, W.I.,Arima Blanchisseuse Road, milestone 9.75, Textel Road, Eupatorium flowers, 5.x.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [MJWC]

FIGURE 36. Details of male Aethria aner, Trinidad, W.I., Las Lomas, Spanish Farm, to Heliotropium, 27.ix.1981 (M.J.W. Cock) [MJWC]

FIGURE 37.Details of female Aethria aner, Trinidad,W.I.,ArimaBlanchisseuse Road, milestone9.75,Textel Road, Eupatorium flowers, 5.x.1979 (M.J.W. Cock) [MJWC]