Bergiantina dolens (Druce) Blas & Navarro, 2010

Blas, Germán San & Navarro, Fernando, 2010, Bergiantina, a new genus of agaristid moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Zootaxa 2562, pp. 24-44 : 32-33

Bergiantina dolens (Druce) new combination

( Figs. 8, 22, 31, and 47)

Heterocampa dolens Druce, 1904: 248 .

Erocha dolens (Druce) : Hampson, 1910: 407, fig. 142 (new combination and redescription); Kiriakoff, 1977: 16 (Subfamily revision), Poole, 1989: 380 (Catalogue).

Diagnosis. This species can be differentiated from other Bergiantina species by the following characters: a) forewing ground color brownish red, densely covered with white scales; b) forewing discal cell the same color as ground; c) hindwing ground color white; d) hindwing with traces of a marginal band denoted as black scattered scales; e) apex of right valve of male genitalia, with one subquadrangular knob.

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 8). Forewing length 21.3 mm. This species resembles B. trita , and is differentiated by: forewing ground color brownish red, densely covered with white scales; discal cell as ground color, or with some scattered white scales but not as solid as in B. trita ; hindwing ground color white; with traces of a marginal band represented by black scattered scales (in B. trita it is not a band, it is represented only by scattered scales forming the postmedial line). Genitalia ( Figs. 22 and 31): Resemble B. trita , differentiated by: apex of right valve with one subquadrangular knob ( Fig. 22); horn-like dorsal projection of aedoeagus 1/2X as long as aedoeagus, smooth ( Fig. 31). Female. Unknown.

Type material. Druce did not give any information regarding a type specimen, but he described a male, gave only one locality data, and wrote “… Expanse 2 inches ”. As he did not use the plural for the description, gave one locality, and did not give any range of numbers for expanse, we suppose that he only saw one exemplar. At the BMNH there is one male specimen with the same locality data, a type label, and which fits the description given by Druce. We believe it to be the holotype. HOLOTYPE: ♂ in the BMNH, with a white red bordered circled label reading “ Type ”; a white typed label reading “ Santo Domingo │ S. E. Peru │ 6000 ft │ G. Ockenden ”; a white typed label reading “Brit. Mus. │ 1930-75”; a light blue typed label reading “ Noctuidae ♂ │ Genitalia slide │ No. 5140“; and a white handwritten label reading “ Heterocampa │ dolens │ Type ♂ Druce”.

Immature stages and hosts. Neither the immature stages nor the host plants are known.

Distribution ( Fig. 47). The only specimen of which we are aware is the type.

Discussion. Kiriakoff (1977) stated that the distribution of this species is “Southeastern Peru, Bolivia, possibly Argentina ”. We feel Kiriakoff may have misidentified some specimens, as this species is easily confused with B. trita . Also, it is likely to be mistaken with some white hindwinged specimens of B. magnifica . As we did not see another specimen of this species in the collections visited, we cannot confirm that the distribution of this species extends beyond Peru. This species resembles B. trita , and is externally differentiated by forewing ground color brownish red, densely covered with white scales, and with the discal cell color same as ground color.

++ The hilzingeri group: includes the species Bergiantina magnifica , B. familiae , and B. hilzingeri . This group is characterized by the general shape of the male genitalia ( Fig. 23): valvae increase their size to the tip; sacculus 1/3 of valve length and 3 X as long as wide; cucullus densely covered with short black hairs; apical half of both valve with a club-shaped knob, close to costa, 3 X as long as wide and with a middle ventral lunulate protuberance covered with setae; right valve with a wide middle conical depression (medial notch) on ventral margin of valvula, and shape of the apex asymmetric: right valve is flattened and ear-shaped and left valve is squared with a ventral distal knob. Apical end of aedoeagus with a sclerotized horn-like dorsal projection with four rows of small denticles half-spirally arranged, from right to the anterior side, increasing in size to middle.