Leucania pampa Schaus, 1894

Dolibaina, Diego Rodrigo, Casagrande, Mirna Martins, Specht, Alexandre, Mielke, Olaf Hermann Hendrik, Legrain, Albert, Zilli, Alberto & Goldstein, Paul, 2019, Taxonomy of the rivorum species-group of Leucania Ochsenheimer, 1816 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Zootaxa 4711 (3), pp. 545-560 : 550-553

Leucania pampa Schaus, 1894 stat. rev.

( Figs 9–12 , 19, 23 , 27 , 31 , 35, 39 , 41 )

Leucania pampa Schaus, 1894: 233 .— Hampson 1905: 527 [as a junior synonym of L. rivorum ].— Poole 1989: 583, 595 [as a junior synonym of L. rivorum ].

Cirphis rivorum [misidentification possibly based on Hampson (1905)]; Draudt 1924: 165 (in part).— Köhler 1947: 98.

Diagnosis. Leucania pampa is immediately distinguished from other New World Leucania by the presence of only two transverse black bands crossing the patagium ( Figs 17–18 ), versus the three bands in congeners ( Figs 13–16 ). The combination of other diagnostic features of this species includes the reddish-rust coloration of the forewing upperside, white-lined veins, absence of a postdiscal row of black dots over the veins, the beige area beyond the discal cell not extending up to R 5, and the uniformly white hind wing ( Figs 9, 11 ). Male genitalia are distinctive in the short and rounded cucullus, not narrowed basally as in most American Leucania ; inner margin of sacculus with a patch of long setae; ventral margin of valva distinctly produced into short acute process before indentation differentiating the cucullus; large, sub-rectangular clasper, produced into a stout spine at the postero-ventral corner; and vesica with a row of long straight, broader-based cornuti with finely rounded tips ( Figs 23–24 , 31–33, 38–39 ).

Redescription. Head: As in L. rivorum .

Thorax: As in L. rivorum , but patagium lighter and with two darker brown transverse bands, proximal band narrowest.

Forewing: Length 15.7–17.0 mm in males (n = 5), 16.0–17.7 mm in females (n = 4). Upper side as in L. rivorum , but with black dot at end of discal cell poorly defined or absent; black dot below origin of CuA 2 reduced or absent; beige area beyond discal cell not extending beyond R 5; anal area with a thick black line. Underside as in L. rivorum .

Hind wing: As in L. rivorum , but outer margin slightly angled near CuA 1. Upper side white, sometimes rust at apical area; outer margin with small dark brown dots in space between veins Sc+R 1 and CuA 2; fringe white. Underside as in upper side, except with rust and black scales covering costa, extending along part of outer area until CuA 2; fringe rust at apex, replaced by white towards tornus.

Abdomen: As in L. rivorum .

Male genitalia: Tegumen and saccus as in L. rivorum . Valva almost rectangular, very wide, about twice as long as wide, with ventral margin produced into distinct short acute spine before indentation with cucullus; sacculus with a patch of long setae at base of inner margin; editum triangular, longer than in other species of group; clasper about same size as cucullus, with postero-ventral tip produced into stout thorn-like projection; ampulla finger-shaped, uniformly slender and shorter than digitus; digitus sickle-shaped, about as long as clasper, slightly curved, tapered into pointed tip; costal sensory plate very narrow and long, reaching ventral indentation between main section of valva and base of cucullus; cucullus rounded, about one fourth of length and half of width of valva, not narrowed at base. Poma similar in shape to that of L. rivorum but markedly smaller. Uncus slender, almost completely covered by setae, sharply curved ventrally, narrowed from terminal quarter to apically pointed hook. Fultura inferior small, roughly triangular and smooth, without projections. Aedeagus similar to that of L. rivorum , but distal margin less projected laterally; vesica simple, tubular, with about 60–70 long narrow cornuti with minutely rounded tips ar- ranged in a row, decreasing in size along vesica towards gonopore. Subscaphium joined to tegumen by membrane.

Female genitalia: As in L. rivorum , but with appendix bursae slightly longer and corpus bursae slightly short- er.

Geographical distribution and phenology. This species is restricted to natural open environments such as grasslands in Brazil and Argentina ranging from 600 to 1000m in elevation ( Fig. 41 ). The apparently disjunct distribution of some populations of L. pampa may be due to under-sampling, as the habitats of this species are sometimes neglected by collectors. Its distribution includes biomes such as Cerrado and Caatinga to the north, Southeastern Atlantic Forest to the south, and Chaco to the west. The record of L. rivorum from Tucumán by Köhler (1947) probably refers to L. pampa .

This species has been recorded in January, February, June, September, October and November.

Comments. Leucania pampa is rarely mentioned in the literature. As noted, Hampson (1905) considered it a junior subjective synonym of L. rivorum soon after its description, and this was followed by subsequent authors ( Draudt 1924; Poole 1989). The absence of systematic studies on South American Leucania perpetuated this interpretation for more than a century. Although related to L. rivorum , L. pampa is supported as a distinct species by features of the habitus (patagium and forewing pattern) and morphology of the male genitalia; for this reason, its status as a valid species is revised.

The reddish-rust forewing, with lined-white veins and near absence of black dots of L. pampa is uncommon among the South American Leucania . In addition, the configuration of the male genitalia of L. pampa is unique to this fauna, particularly the thick patch of setae at the base of the sacculus. The configuration of the clasper and the spine on ventral edge of valva before constriction with cucullus is also unique among American Leucania .

In the description of L. pampa, Schaus (1894) mentioned the presence of only one dark transverse line on the patagium, which probably refers to the thicker distal band. This character is unique among the members of the rivorum species-group, three dark patagial bands being the norm for the genus. To our knowledge, only L. sonroja Adams, 2001 , an endemic species from Dominican Republic, has two transverse bands crossing the patagium. However, the absence in its description of details concerning the development and position of these bands leaves us unable to consider their homology with those of L. pampa . On the other hand, the general aspect of the forewing color pattern and the male and female genitalia of L. pampa are consistent with its inclusion in the rivorum species - group of Leucania , whereas the male genitalia of L. sonroja suggests its inclusion in a distinct and more diverse group of American Leucania exemplified by L. subpunctata , where the cucullus is club-shaped and fused to the valva by a long narrow area.

Type material. Leucania pampa was described from an unspecified number of specimens from Castro, Paraná, Brazil. Three males and one female from the type locality were found at the USNM, all from the Schaus collection, with the exception of a male from the Dognin collection. Only one male bears a handwritten label “ Leucania pampa Type Schs.” This specimen is here designated lectotype in order to ensure nomenclatural stability in this complex of closely looking similar species. It has the following labels: / Castro. Parana. [ Brazil] / Collection W m Schaus / Type No. 10484 U.S. N.M. / Leucania pampa Type. Schs. / Genitalia slide ♂ MS Adams USNM 50176 / USNMENT 00973011 /, and the following labels will be added: / LECTOTYPUS / Lectotype Leucania pampa Schaus, 1894 Dolibaina et al. des. 2019 /. The remaining two males and one female from Schaus collection are therefore paralectotypes and will be labeled similarly.

Material Examined. 19♂ and 18♀. BRAZIL : Bahia: Jequié , 600‒750m, 11‒22.XI.1995, 1♂, V. O. Becker leg. 105493 ( VOB) . Distrito Federal: Planaltina , 1000m, 10.II.1976, 1♀, V. O. Becker leg. 18782 ( VOB) . São Paulo: Salto Grande ( Paranapanema ), 3♂, E. D. Jones leg. 010915320, 010915321, 010915323 ( NHMUK) . São Paulo, 2♂ and 4♀, E. D. Jones leg. 010915102, 010915103, 010915104, 010915307, 010915319 ( NHMUK), ( USNM) . Paraná: 1905, 2♂, Jason leg. 010915311, 010915312 ( NHMUK) , 1♂, E. D. Jones leg. 010915322 ( NHMUK) . Castro , 1♂, lectotype designated above ( USNM) , 1♂ and 4♀, E. D. Jones leg. 010915304, 010915309, 010915310, 010915324, 010915325 ( NHMUK) , 7♂ and 5♀ 010915305, 010915306, 010915308, 010915313, 010915314, 010915315, 010915316, 010915317, 010915318 ( NHMUK), ( USNM) . Curitiba , 920m, 8.I.1975, 1♀, 5.VI.1975, 1♀, V. O. Becker leg. 3354 ( VOB, USNM) . Rio Grande do Sul: São Francisco de Paula , 24.IX.1997, 1♀, 24.X.1997, 1♂, A. Specht leg. 9962, 9958 ( MCTP) . ARGENTINA: Tucumán, no locality, 1♀, J. Steinbach leg. 010915105 ( NHMUK) .

Figures

FIGURE 41. Geographic distribution of the species of Leucania belonging to the rivorum species-group.

FIGURES 1–16. Male (left) and female (right) adults of Leucania species in dorsal and ventral views. Figs 1–4. L. rivorum, male from Tibagi, Paraná, Brazil (DZ 40.461), female from São José do Barreiro, São Paulo, Brazil (DD 477). Figs 5–8. L. multistria stat. rev., comb. nov., male from Tibagi, Paraná, Brazil (DZ 40.462), female from Cambará do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (DZ 40.449). Figs 9–12. L. pampa, stat. rev., male from Castro, Paraná, Brazil (USNM), female from São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (MCTP 9962). Figs 13–16. L. chejela, male from Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (CPAC 3951), female from Conquista D’Oeste, Mato Grosso, Brazil (DZ 40.516). Scale bar: 1cm.

FIGURES 17–24. Head and patagium of species of Leucania, in frontal (upper) and dorsal (bottom) views. Figs 17, 21. L. rivorum, Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil (CPAC 446). Figs 18, 22. L. multistria, stat. rev., comb. nov., Cambará do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (DZ 40.389). Fig. 19, 23. L. pampa, stat. rev., São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (MCTP 9962). Figs 20, 24. L. chejela, Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (CPAC 3951).

FIGURES 25–28. Male genitalia of species of Leucania. Fig. 25. L. rivorum, Tibagi, Paraná, Brazil (DZ 40.471). Fig. 26. L. multistria, stat. rev., comb. nov., Tibagi, Paraná. Brazil (DZ 40.451). Fig. 27. L. pampa, stat. rev., Castro, Paraná, Brazil (USNM). Fig. 28. L. chejela, Conquista D’Oeste, Mato Grosso, Brazil (DZ 40.067). Left to right: posterior view of the genitalia; left lateral view of the right valva; lateral view of tegumen and uncus; dorso-posterior view of the uncus; posterior view of fultura inferior, poma and base of valvae. Lines and arrows indicate distinctive characters. Scale bar: 1mm.

FIGURES 29–32. Aedeagus and vesica of species of Leucania, in right lateral (upper) and dorsal (bottom) views. Fig. 29. L. rivorum. Fig. 30. L. multistria, stat. rev., comb. nov.. Fig. 31. L. pampa, stat. rev., upper is an amplified part of the vesica (out of scale), bottom is the dorsal view of the aedeagus without vesica (this structure broke up in the dissected male used in the plate). Fig. 32. L. chejela. Specimens are from the same localities of the figures 25–28. Scale bar: 1mm.

FIGURES 33–40. Female genitalia of species of Leucania, in lateral (Figs 33–36) and ventral (Figs 37–40) views. Figs 33, 37. L. rivorum, Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil (CPAC 725). Figs 34, 38. L. multistria stat. rev., comb. nov., São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (MCTP 9956). Figs 35–39. L. pampa stat. rev., Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil (USNM). Figs 36, 40. L. chejela, Chapadão do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil (CPAC 4510). Scale bar: 1mm.