Boenasa davidsoni Laguerre, 2024

Laguerre, Michel, 2024, Description of three new species and a new genus of Lithosiini from Dominican Republic (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini), Faunitaxys 12 (37), pp. 1-9 : 4-5

Description of Boenasa davidsoni Laguerre sp. n.

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ 8AB308A8-CC3A-45B0-ADEC-0543CB0EC040

Holotype, ♂, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Pedernales, La Abeja, 38 NNW Cabo Rojo , ( 18°09' N 71°38' W). 1160 m, 13-VII-1987, J.E. Rawlins & R.L. Davidson leg. Dissected Gen. ML3874 (light-blue manuscript label). In CMNH.

Paratypes, 4 ♂ & 3 ♀, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, same data as holotype. In CMNH .

Diagnosis. – A small species with chocolate brown forewings with a pinkish basal streak. Hindwings unmarked and light pink. Head and collar pinkishcream and strongly contrasting.

Male ( Fig. 4 on top)

FWL = 7 mm and WS = 15 mm.– Head. Antennae thin and ciliate, light pink. Palpi black. Vertex pinkish beige. Patagia pinkish beige with some reddish hairs. – Thorax. Thorax including tegulae brownish black. – Abdomen. Abdomen covered with orange red hairs, darker towards base. – Wings. Forewings chocolate brown with a pink streak from base to mid internal border. A thin blackish lineon the termen margin.Hindwings plainpinkish red withlong hairs on the anal border, nearly completely upturned with venter facing dorsally and vice versa. Below similar to upperside: forewings dark brownish with a large reddish patch on disk and hindwings plain pinkish red.

Genitalia male ( Fig. 5 )

Genitalia symmetrical. Uncus very long and narrow, with a pointed tip, evenly bent downwards. Valvae extending posteriorly slightly beyond base of uncus, ovoid with sharp denticulate extremity at cucullus pointing dorsally. Vinculum slightly concave, no saccus. Presence of a long subscaphium slightly sclerotized. Aedeagus short and cylindrical, thinly sclerotized, vesica conical very minutely spiculate.

Female ( Fig. 4 below)

FWL = 9 mm and WS = 19 mm. Similar to male but larger and without upturned hindwings. Below on forewings the reddish patch is suffused with brownish scales.

Etymology. – Named in honor of Robert L. Davidson who collected a large part of the studied material and for his unlikely contributions to lepidopterology by spreading more moths than any other coleopterist.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Distribution. – Presently known from medium altitudes localities in the southern part of the Dominican Republic. The species is uncommon across its range.

Figures

Fig. 4. A pair of Boenasa davidsoni sp. n. Male holotype on top, female paratype below, upperside on left and underside on right. Labels not to scale.

Fig. 5. Genitalia of the holotype of Boenasa davidsoni sp. n. a. Ventral view. b. Dorsal view. c. Lateral view with aedeagus in position.