Panthea hondurensis Martinez, 2021

Martinez, Jose I., Schmidt, B. Christian & Miller, Jacqueline Y., 2021, A new Andean genus, Lafontaineana, with descriptions of four new species and two new Neotropical species of Panthea (Noctuidae, Pantheinae), ZooKeys 1028, pp. 113-134 : 113

Panthea hondurensis Martinez sp. nov. Figures 18 , 26

Type material.

Holotype: ♂, Honduras: Fco. Morazán, Reserva Biológia Monte Uyuca, 1.600 m, 14.034858°, -87.075035°, 16 vii. 2015, coll. D. Matthews & J. Y. Miller / Honduras Biodiversity Survey MGCL Accession, #2015-56 / Barcode MGCL 270947, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity, UF. [DNA voucher LEP-75397] deposited in MGCL. Paratypes (1 ♂ MGCL): Same collecting data as holotype.

Etymology.

This species is named after the only country in which it is known to occur.

Diagnosis.

Panthea hondurensis is morphologically similar to P. guatemala . Externally, P. hondurensis is slightly smaller and darker with the lunate markings on the reniform spots longer than those of P. guatemala . In the male genitalia, P. hondurensis has wider valves without protuberances at the apex and shorter subuncal lobes. The aedeagus is noticeably shorter.

Description.

Only known from two male specimens. Head. Male antenna brown and bipectinate; palpus black and dark brown; frons marbled with brown, white, and gray scales. Thorax. Marbled with brown and gray scales forming polygons outlined by black scales. Wing. Forewing length in male 21-23 mm; forewing with the basal, antemedial, and medial lines all in black, while the postmedial line is brown highlighted with gray scales; orbicular spot not present; reniform spot formed by long lunate marking; hindwing whitish brown with dark brown veins; wide well-developed pale-brown discal line, while the medial line is inconspicuous; fringe alternating with black and whitish brown scales; legs black with some dark brown and gray spots. Abdomen. Darker brown than thorax; dorsal and ventral sides black, tergite ends brown; last abdominal segment with long brownish gray scales. Male genitalia. Tegumen narrow; simple valva with narrow cucullar region and flattened apex; saccular region 1½× wider than the cucullar region; saccular process ending in a Y-shaped clasper; juxta shield-shaped with the upper side concave; uncus tip flattened; subuncal lobes short; aedeagus short, 3 × longer than width; vesica with a small basal diverticulum and a long sclerotized cornutus, second cornutus similar in size located laterally on the central region of the vesica.

Genetic characterization.

DNA barcodes of Panthea guatemala and P. hondurensis differ by 1%, comparable to differences between other closely related species of the genus ( Schmidt and Anweiler 2020) (Fig. 2 ).

Distribution.

The only two known specimens were found in the cloud forest of south-central Honduras (Fig. 36 ).

Remarks.

The holotype (Fig. 18 ) and paratype are in perfect condition.

Figures

Figure 2. Relationships between the species Panthea hondurensis and other Panthea species employing a Maximum Likelihood analysis based on the cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI). 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 represent the outgroups.

Figure 36. Distribution of examined specimens of Panthea.

Figures 6 - 20. Adult habitus of Lichnoptera, Lafontaineana, and Panthea 6 Lichnoptera gulo, ♂, MGCL, Cundinamarca, Colombia 7 L. gulo, ♀, MGCL, Cundinamarca, Colombia 8 Lafontaineana marmorifera, ♂, MGCL, Cundinamarca, Colombia 9 L. marmorifera, ♀, MGCL, Cundinamarca, Colombia 10 L. imama, ♂, MGCL, holotype, Tolima, Colombia 11 L. imama, ♀, MGCL, paratype, Tolima, Colombia 12 L. puma, ♂, CNC, holotype, La Alegria, Ecuador 13 L. puma, ♀, CNC, paratype, La Alegria, Ecuador 14 L. thuta, ♂, MGCL, holotype, Loja, Ecuador 15 L. thuta, ♀, MGCL, paratype, Sucumbios, Ecuador 16 L. alexandrae, ♀, FSU, holotype, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador 17 Panthea guatemala, ♂, CNC, San Lorenzo, Guatemala 18 P. hondurensis, ♂, MGCL, holotype, Francisco Morazan, Honduras 19 P. reducta, CNC, ♂, Pedernales, Dominican Republic 20 P. taina, ♂, La Vega, MGCL, holotype, Dominican Republic.

Figures 25 - 28. Male genitalia of Lafontaineana and Panthea 25 Panthea guatemala, CNC, Oaxaca, Mexico 26 P. hondurensis, MGCL, holotype, Francisco Morazan, Honduras 27 P. taina, MGCL, holotype, La Vega, Dominican Republic 28 P. reducta, ♂, CNC, Pedernales, Dominican Republic.