The Brazilian species of the genus Arhacia Herrich- Schäffer, 1855 with description of a new species (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae, Dicranurinae)

Las especies brasileñas del género Arhacia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855, con la descripción de una especie nueva (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae, Dicranurinae)

Introduction

The Neotropical genus Arhacia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855 included four species: A. combusta (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]) from Brazil, A. imitans (Schaus, 1911) and A. lignaris Schaus, 1911, from Costa Rica, and A. postbrunnea Rothschild, 1917 from French Guiana (BECKER, 2014). In the author’s collection two species from Brazil are present, one of them described below as new. Arhacia is related to Truncaptera Becker, 2014 both in external pattern and shape of genitalia, especially to the fascis-group. They can be easily distinguished by the antenna, short ciliated in Arhacia whereas long pectinated in the other.

Material and methods

This work is based on 29 specimens: 15 specimens (9 g. s.) in VOB, 14 specimens in AMC, and on the type-material in the USNM and the NHMUK. Synoptic collections, representing all the species were taken to these institutions and compared with the types deposited there. The holotype of the new species is provisionally deposited in VOB, and will be transferred, together with the collection, to a Brazilian institution in the future. Genitalia were prepared following the methods described by ROBINSON (1976). Terms for morphological characters follow HODGES (1971).

Abbreviations

AMC = Alfred Moser collection, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

BA = Bahia State, Brazil

FW = Forewing

g. s. = genitalia slide

HW = Hind wing

MNHU = Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany

NHMUK = The Natural History Museum, London, UK (formally The British Museum of Natural History)

PR = Paraná State, Brazil

RJ = Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

RS = Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil SP = São Paulo State, Brazil

TP = Type-species

USNM = United States National Museum, Washington, USA

VOB = Vitor O. Becker collection, Serra Bonita Reserve, Camacan, Bahia, Brazil

Results

The material in the author’s collection indicates that two species of Arhacia, have been collected in Brazil: a dark brown one, A. combusta, and a paler one, almost identical to A. imitans from Costa Rica, which has been wrongly identified, in all collection examined, as A. combusta. Differences in the genitalia confirmed their difference. There are two main reasons for such misidentifications: the absence of material of A. combusta in all collections, and the illustrations by DRAUDT (1932: pl. 147e), who figured the female of A. combusta and a paler male, with hind wings pale yellow, representing the undescribed species.

Arhacia Herrich-Schäffer, 1855

Aussereur. Schmett., 1: 11

TS: Anodonta combusta Herrich-Schäffer, 1854. Aussereur. Schmett., 1: 78, figs 81-82

Arhacia combusta (Herrich-Schäffer, 1854) (Figs 1-3, 14)

Anodonta combusta Herrich-Schäffer, 1854. Aussereur. Schmett., 1: 78, figs 81-82. Syntype ♀, BRAZIL: No further data (MNHU) [ examined]

Arhacia postbrunnea Rothschild, 1917. Novit. Zool., 26: 238, pl. 8, fig. 16. Holotype ♂, FRENCH GUIANA: St. Jean du Maroni (NHMUK) [examined], syn. n.

Diagnosis: Male 25 mm (56 mm wingspan) (Fig. 1), female FW 28-30 mm (60-66 mm wingspan) (Figs 2-3). Dark fuscous brown. FW bordered with double dark brown band; a dark brown dash at the middle of the wing, just below cell, from base to short distance before termen. Genitalia (Fig. 14) proportionally too small in relation to moth size and abdomen volume; ostium narrow; ductus short, twisted; corpus bursae globose, walls very thin; signum absent.

Material studied: 3 ♀♀ (2 g. s.), BRAZIL: BA, Boa Nova, caatinga, 14º36’S - 40º26’W, 750 m, 4- 8-XII-2013 (Becker 150592; g. s. 5386, 5387).

Remarks: A. combusta was described from an unspecified number of specimens, at least one male and one female, as illustrated by HERRICH-SCHÄFFER (1854: figs 81-82). These illustrations clearly belong to the same species, showing both wings dark brown. SCHINTLMEISTER (2013: 46, fig. on front cover, inside), who examined the material deposited in all the European museums, found only one female at the MNHU. There is no information, either in the original description or in the labels, where the type-series was collected in Brazil. The type-locality of it is synonym, A. postbrunnea, indicates it is an Amazonian species. The three specimens mentioned above, were collected in the Caatinga, a Brazilian biome poorly sampled.

Arhacia imitata Becker, sp. n. (Figs 4, 5, 7-9, 13)

Material studied: Holotype ♂, BRAZIL: SP, São Luis do Paraitinga, 23º20’S - 45º06’W, 900 m, 12-17-XI-2001 (Becker 133850) (VOB). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, BA, Camacã, 15º23’S - 39º33’W, 800 m, 15-XI-1995, XI-2011 (Becker 106014 (g. s. 5392), 147001 (g. s. 5390)) (VOB); RJ, Nova Friburgo, 800 m, 22-I-1993 (Becker 85766 (g. s. 5391) (VOB); 4 ♂♂, PR, Telemaco Borba, 750 m, 15-XI-1995 (Becker 97149 (g. s. 4086) (VOB); 4 ♂♂, SP, São José do Barreiro, 22º43’S 44º36’W, 1580 m, 15-30-III-2020 (Thöny) (AMC, VOB); 1 ♂, SC, São Bento do Sul, Serra do Rio Natal, 26º19’S - 49º18’W, 600 m (Moser, Mielke & Casagrande) (AMC); 1 ♀, Idem, São Bento do Sul, Rio Vermelho, 800 m, III-2005 (Rank & Moser) (AMC); 5 ♂♂, 1 ♀, RS, Morro Reuter, Fazenda Padre Eterno, 29º32’S - 50º58’S, 500-600 m, 25-IX-1982, 24-X-1992, 8-X-1994, 20-X-2001, 11-14-X-2005 (Moser) (AMC); 1 ♂, Idem, São Francisco de Paula, Rio Santa Cruz, 700 m, 24-25-X-2005 (Moser) (AMC); 1 ♂, Idem, Encruzilhada do Sul, 30º47’S – 52º36’W, 9-10-XI-2018 (Moser) (AMC).

Diagnosis: Pale ochreous; FW bordered with a narrow, brown band; a brown dash along middle, just below cell, from base to a short distance before termen; HW pale yellow, tinged brown on tornus. Thorax and abdomen, dorsaly, with a broad, rusty brown band along middle.

Description: FW male: 25-30 mm (55-62 mm wingspan) (Fig. 4), female: 28 mm (60 mm wingspan) (Fig. 5). Head dark brown; frons, in the middle, vertex, and labial palpi, ventraly, pale yellow; antenna ochreous. Thorax pale yellow; a broad dark brown band along middle; patagia dark brown; tegula tinged brown. Fore legs, mid and hind tarsi brown. FW pale ochreous, bordered with narrow, brown band, double along termen and tornus; long, brown dash in the middle, just below cell. Abdomen rusty brown dorsally; pale yellow ventraly; distal margin of 8th sternite with a pair of flat protrusions, rounded apically (Fig. 9).

Male genitalia (Figs 7, 8): Uncus short, in the shape of pyramid, mid ridge triangular, short; valva a short triangle, costa with a blunt triangular expansion distal; juxta square; vinculum round. Aedeagus thin, as long as genitalia, sinuose, apex curved; inception of ductus seminalis at basal third; vesica with no spines.

Female genitalia (Fig. 13): Ostium bursae ring-shaped with square expansion distal; ductus bursae thick distad, basal 2/3 twisted, sclerotized; corpus bursae globose, signum absent.

Distribution: Brazil, from southern Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, along the Atlantic Forest biome.

Remarks: Female genitalia bigger than those of A. combusta, and with ductus bursae much longer. A. imitata is similar to A. imitans (Fig. 6), described from Costa Rica, but slightly larger, on average, and with genitalia (Figs 10, 11), as well as distal margin of 8th sternite (Fig. 12) distinct. This has mid ridge of uncus longer, and aedeagus straight, not bent at apex, and vesica bearing an area with small spines. In VOB there are four males, three from Costa Rica, Cartago, Turrialba (Becker 23023, g. s. 5388, 5389), and one from Belize (Becker 23906, g. s. 4087).

Etymology: From the Latin imitor -atus = mimic, imitate, about its smilarity with the other species in the genus; feminine.

Acknowledgments

Robiara U. S. Becker, Serra Bonita Reserve, Camacan, Bahia, prepared the illustrations, Alfred Moser (AMC), supplied data from specimens in his collection, and Scot E. Miller (USNM) helped with information from material deposited in this institution. Alessandro Giusti (NHMUK) authorized the publication of the image of A. postbrunnea. Two anonymous reviewers made several correction and additions that contributed to the improvement of the article.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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HODGES, R. W., 1971.– Sphingoidea.– In R. B. DOMINICK et al.– The Moths of America North of Mexico, 21: 1-158. Classey and R. B. D. Publications, London.

ROBINSON, G. S., 1976.– The preparation of slides of Lepidoptera genitalia with special reference to the Microlepidoptera.– Entomologist’s Gazette, 27: 127-132.

ROTHSCHILD, W. L., 1917.– On some apparently new Notodontidae.– Novitates zoologicae, 24: 231-264.

SCHINTLMEISTER, A., 2013.– Notodontidae & Oenosandridae (Lepidoptera).– World Catalogue of Insects, 11: 1-605.