Cicadomorphus chicharra, 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

Cicadomorphus chicharra sp. nov. Figs 19 , 63 , 92

Type material.

Holotype ♂, Bolivia: Bolivia, La Paz, Santa Rosa de Lima, 16°23.6'S, 67°41.8'W, 20-22.10.2010, H = 1550 m, leg. Viktor Sinyaev & Oleg Romanov. Deposited in MGCL. Paratypes (2 ♂, MGCL): Bolivia: same collecting data as holotype.

Etymology.

The word chicharra means cicada in the Quechua language.

Diagnosis.

Cicadomorphus chicharra is one of the most easily identified species in the group due to its whitish yellow coloration, but also the wing pattern is thinner and paler than in related species, such as C. lilianae . The male genitalia have a wider vesica and narrower spine band on the upper side. Additionally, barcoding showed 2% divergence from C. lilianae .

Description.

Head. Palp with last segment black with a small white dot; frons with greenish yellow scales; antenna brownish orange. Thorax. Greenish yellow, with small black dots dorsally; collar with margins black. Wings. Forewing length: male 23-25 mm; forewing greenish yellow, semi-hyaline areas clothed by fewer greenish yellow scales; subterminal, medial, and antemedial lines slightly visible; reniform spot poorly defined; orbicular spot long; hindwing: semi-hyaline with greenish yellow veins and fringe. Leg. Prothoracic legs black with some patches of same color as body; mesothoracic legs and metathoracic legs greenish yellow. Abdomen. Greenish yellow, paler than thorax; tufts in male on A1-A6 with characteristic small black spots on A1, A5 and A6. Male genitalia. Cucullus wide with a wide lobe; apex, outer margin, and lobe covered by long setae; apex slightly squared; sacculus wide with needle-shaped process; tegumen narrow, unsclerotized around uncus; saccus relatively wide; juxta with U-shaped concave depression on upper side; aedeagus ⅔ × as long as vesica; opening to vesica as wide as aedeagus; vesica wide with narrow transverse band of spines.

Immature stages.

Unknown.

Distribution.

The three specimens were found in the western zone of Bolivia at moderate elevations ca. 1500 m (Fig. 92 ).

Biology.

Unknown.

Remarks.

The holotype is in perfect condition (Fig. 19 ). Initially this species was confused with Cicadomorphus lilianae , but a rigorous morphological examination and DNA barcoding showed they were separate species.

Figures

Figure 92. Distribution of examined specimens of the genera Cicadoforma and Cicadomorphus.

Figures 12 - 25. Adult habitus of Cicadoforma and Cicadomorphus species 12 Cicadoforma vau-nigrum, ♂, CNC, Tovar, Venezuela 13 C. ocelotus, ♂, holotype, MGCL, Santander, Colombia 14 C. ocelotus, ♂, paratype, MGCL, Boyaca, Colombia 15 C. ocelotus, ♂, paratype, MGCL, Quindio, Colombia 16 Cicadomorphus lilianae, ♂, holotype, MGCL, Napo, Ecuador 17 C. chuya, ♂, holotype, MGCL, Tolima, Colombia 18 C. falkasiska, ♂, holotype, MGCL, Oxapampa, Peru 19 C. chicharra, ♂, holotype, MGCL, San Rosa, Bolivia 20 C. vau-nigrum, ♀, CNC, El Junquito, Venezuela 21 C. ocelotus, ♀, paratype, MGCL, Santander, Colombia 22 C. lilianae, ♀, paratype, FSU, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador 23 C. chuya, ♀, paratype, MGCL, Cochabamba, Bolivia 24 C. falkasiska, ♀, paratype, MGCL, Oxapampa, Peru 25 C. falkasiska, ♀, paratype, MGCL, Junin, Peru.

Figures 59 - 63. Male genitalia of Cicadoforma and Cicadomorphus species 59 Cicadoforma ocelotus, holotype, MGCL, Santander, Colombia 60 Cicadomorphus chuya, holotype, MGCL, Tolima, Colombia 61 C. falkasiska, holotype, MGCL, Oxapampa, Peru 62 C. lilianae, holotype, MGCL, Napo, Ecuador 63 C. chicharra, holotype, MGCL, San Rosa, Bolivia.