Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911

Beccacece, Hernán Mario & Zapata, Adriana Inés, 2017, Taxonomic changes of some neotropical species of Arctiini Leach (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4272 (3), pp. 421-429 : 426

Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911

( Fig. 7 )

Melese flavescens Joicey & Talbot, 1918 syn. n. ( Fig. 8 )

Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911: 15 was described based on a male holotype from Misiones , Argentina, deposited in USNM ( Fig. 7 ). Melese flavescens Joicey & Talbot, 1918: 268 ; pl. 1, f. 11 was described based on a male holotype from Misiones , Argentina according to Hampson (1920) is deposited in NHUK ( Fig. 8 ). The holotype of the latter species is faded, but both the discal spot in the distal end of the discal cell and the three irregular spots at the base of the forewing are evident, similarly to the holotype of M. paranensis . Several males of M. paranensis from the type locality were examined. The three irregular spots on the forewing were found to present variations. Females are larger than males and the discal spot on forewings is reduced to a dot or even absent ( Figs. 18, 21 ). The male genitalia dissected match with M. paranensis ( Watson 1971) ( Figs. 19, 20 ). Furthermore, there is no information of the close vicinity and similarity with M. paranensis in the description provided by Joicey & Talbot (1918). The only M. flavescens specimen present in a collection is the holotype . Therefore, this holotype is either an aberration or a faded specimen of M. paranensis .

Material examined. Argentina, Misiones: 1 ♀: Iguazú X-1928, A. Breyer leg. ( MLP) ( Figs. 18, 21 ) . 1 ♀: 14- XI-1928 (MLP). 1 ♂: [Puerto] Bemberg , XII-1938, K. Hayward leg. ( MLP) . 1 ♂: Candelaria department - L. N. Alem, XI-1953, Gaitopulo (MACN) ( Figs. 19, 20 ). 2 ♂: Esmeralda Provincial Park , 505 m, 18-I-2012, S 26°53'39'' W 53°52'44'', H.M. Beccacece, A.I. Zapata, G. San Blas, M.E. Drewniak & N. Villafañe leg. ( MZUC) . 1 ♀: Moconá Provincial Park , 433 m, 18-I-2012, S 27°09' 17 W 53°53'31'', H.M. Beccacece, A.I. Zapata, G. San Blas, M.E. Drewniak & N. Villafañe leg. ( MZUC) . 1 ♂: idem locality, 16-III-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 3 ♂: idem locality, 01-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 2 ♂: idem locality, 05-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂ and 2 ♀: idem locality, 07-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 2 ♂ and 2 ♀: idem locality, 12-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 2 ♂ and 1 ♀: idem locality, 13-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 5 ♂ and 2 ♀: idem locality, 14-IV-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 25-VI-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 3 ♂: idem locality, 26-VI-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 27-VI-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂ and 2 ♀: idem locality, 27-VI-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 4 ♂ and 1 ♀: idem locality, 30-VI-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 2 ♀: idem locality, 01-VII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 5 ♂: idem locality, 01-VII- 2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♀: idem locality, 03-VII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 05-VII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 01-VIII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 3 ♀: idem locality, 01-VIII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 21-X-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Type specimens of the studied species. 1. Agaraea klagesi (Rothschild, 1909) female lectotype. 2. Agaraea nigrotuberculata Bryk, 1953 male holotype 3. Agaraea nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909) female holotype. 4. Opharus fasciatus Rothschild, 1909 female holotype. 5. Pelochyta pallida Dognin, 1910 male holotype 6. Opharus ochracea Joicey & Talbot, 1918 female lectotype. 7. Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911 male holotype. 8. Melese flavescens Joicey & Talbot, 1918 male holotype. 9. Tessellota pura Breyer, 1957 male holotype. Scale bar: 10 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 27. 10 – 14. Agaraea nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909). 10. Habitus. 11. Male genitalia. 12. Aedeagus. 13. Coremata. 14. Female genitalia. 15 – 17. Halysidota infucata Berg, 1882 15. Habitus. 16. Male genitalia. 17. Aedeagus. 18 – 21. Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911. 18. Habitus. 19. Male genitalia. 20. Aedeagus. 21. Female genitalia. 22 – 24. Tessellota cancellata (Burmeister, 1878). 22. Habitus. 23. Male genitalia. 24. Aedeagus. 25 – 27. Tessellota pura Breyer, 1957. 25. Male paratype. 26. Male genitalia. 27. Aedeagus. Scale bar: 10 mm.