Metarctia (Hebena) lateritia (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855)

Fiebig, Ralf, László, Gyula M., Volynkin, Anton V. & Taberer, Tabitha R., 2023, Integrative taxonomic revision of the Metarctia Walker, 1855 subgenus Hebena Walker, 1856, with descriptions of six new species and one new subspecies (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomini), Zootaxa 5339 (4), pp. 301-354 : 308

Metarctia (Hebena) lateritia (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855)

(Figs adults 1a–o, 13a–c, 23a–c, 33–34; genitalia 40a–e, 52a–c; habitats 61–65, 69–71, 77–82)

Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 , Sammlung neuer oder wenig bekannter aussereuropäische Schmetterlinge. Heterocera (Nachtfalter) (1) 1: 72, fig. 274. Holotype not stated, probably lost ( Przybyłowicz & Kühne 2008). Type locality [ South Africa, Cape] Cap.

Hebena venosa Walker, 1856 , List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum, Part VII. Lepidoptera Heterocera, 7: 1723. Holotype female. Type locality [ South Africa] Port Natal (coll. OUMNH).

Type material examined. Neotype designation of Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 . The authors of this paper could not trace the holotype of Automolis lateritia during their visits to several large European museums, neither was it reported from the SMNS ( Häuser et al. 2003), a well-known depository of numerous Herrich-Schäffer types. Following the suggestions of Przybyłowicz & Kühne (2008) and Przybyłowicz (2009) we consider the holotype of the species lost and in order to stabilise the nomenclature of the senior taxon of the species-complex, designate a neotype as follows:

Automolis lateritia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

Neotype, male, designated herein “ RSA Provinc Mpumalanga Barberton Nature Reserve Berghuisi 2, 5 km S v. Barberton S 25°48’27” / E 31°02’50” 1130 m ü.NN 14–16.xi.2014 LF leg. R. & S. Fiebig ”, gen. slide No.: GP 36.749, DNA barcode id.: BC ZSM Lep 111882, BOLD process id: GWOUH486-21 (coll. ZSM).

Hebena venosa Walker, 1856

Holotype, female [with handwritten] “Natal” / “venosa n.” / “There cannot be a shadow of a doubt that Anace rubra + Hebena venosa are ♂ + ♀ of one species” / [partly handwritten] “Type Lep.: No. 128 Hebena venosa Walker Hope Dept. Oxford ”, gen. slide No.: LG 5496 (coll. OUMNH).