Gaujoptera, Martinez, 2020

Martinez, Jose I., 2020, Revision of the South American genus Gaujonia Dognin (Noctuidae, Pantheinae) with descriptions of five new genera and twenty-one new species, ZooKeys 985, pp. 71-126 : 71

Gaujoptera gen. nov.

Gender.

Feminine.

Type species.

Gaujoptera amsa sp. nov.

Etymology.

Gaujoptera is derived from the similarities with the genera Gaujonia and Lichnoptera .

Included species.

Gaujoptera is monotypic, the only species is Gaujoptera amsa sp. nov., which was misidentified as a Gaujonia species; however, morphological and molecular analyses resulted in recognizing a new genus that is positioned close to the genus Millerana (Fig. 1 ).

Diagnosis.

Gaujoptera is only known from two well-preserved male specimens and it has a close relationship with Millerana , not only genetically, but also by distinct morphological characters. Nevertheless, the wing pattern is more defined in Millerana than in Gaujoptera , which has a blurry pattern that is difficult to discern. In addition, the thorax is marbled with black, gray, brown, and sulfur-yellow scales, differing from species of Gaujonia , which have the black spots and patches well defined on the thorax. Gaujoptera does not have a V-shaped mark at the base of CuA2. The most important feature to differentiate Gaujoptera from Gaujonia is the presence of small clasper on the valva, similar to that of Lichnoptera .

Description.

Forewing and hindwing dark sulfur-yellow with an inconspicuous pattern, only reniform spot visible. Hindwing hyaline with scales only on margins. Antenna filiform, with a short brownish orange haustellum; eye hairy with short interfacial setae. Male genitalia simple in male with small triangular clasper; small, curved uncus; aedeagus shorter than vesica; vesica with small spines in middle. Female unknown.

Immature stages.

Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Maximum likelihood tree showing relationships between the Gaujonia genus group and the rest of the other jaguar moth genera based on the cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI) marker. Nodes with black circles represent high support (UFBoot ≥ 95 and SH-aLRT ≥ 80). Nodes with gray circles represent low support (UFBoot <95 and SH-aLRT <80). Black branches constitute the outgroups.