Eadmuna paloa Schaus, 1933

St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Dombroskie, Jason J., 2015, Revision of the genus Eadmuna Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonidae) with a description of a new species from French Guiana, ZooKeys 494, pp. 51-68 : 59

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Mimallonidae

Eadmuna paloa Schaus, 1933 rev. status Figs 5-7, 11, 14, 15-16, 18

Eadmuna esperans ; Becker 1996, incorrect synonymy

Type material.

Holotype: BRAZIL, São Paulo, "No. 71," USNM holotype No.: 34362- St Laurent diss: 11-1-14:7 [examined] [♂, USNM]. Paratypes: none. Type locality: BRAZIL, São Paulo.

Additional specimens examined.

22 males, 2 females: BRAZIL: São Paulo: Jacupiranga, 800m, 8 ii 1993, V.O. Becker, Col. Becker no. 87164- St Laurent diss: 11-1-14:11 [1 ♂, USNM]; Santa Catarina: Rio Vermelho: i 1957, A. Maller col., No. 1714 [1 ♂, USNM]; ii 1945, i 1944, leg. Anton Maller- St Laurent diss: 10-11-14:2 [2 ♂, AMNH]; ii 1945- leg Anton Maller- St Laurent diss: 10-11-14:3 [1 ♀, AMNH]; ii 1944, A. Maller Coll., Frank Johnson Donor- St Laurent diss: 11-12-14:1 [1 ♀, AMNH]; Hansa Humbolt [ Corupá] [probably pre 1944] [1 ♂, USNM]; Jaraguá [do Sul], 29 xi 1934, 17 ix 1934, coll. Fritz Hoffmann- St Laurent genitalia diss: 9-14-14:7, Franclemont genitalia diss: 1769 [2 ♂, CUIC]; Nova Bremen, 7 xii 1936, 14 x 1936, 18 v 1936, 7 ix 1935 coll. Fritz Hoffmann- St Laurent genitalia diss: 9-14-14:8 [4 ♂, CUIC]; [no further data] [3 ♂, USNM]; F. Hoffman, No. 13791 [1 ♂, USNM]; F. Hoffman [1 ♂, USNM]; Paraná: Banhados (RR. from Curitiba to Paranaguá), 800 m, 14 ii 1972, E.G., I. & E.A. Munroe- St Laurent diss: 10-5-14-:1 [2 ♂, CNC]; Minas Gerais: Diamantina, Serrinha- X-IV, with X-IV crossed out, leg. E. Cohn- St Laurent diss: 10-11-14:1 [4 ♂, AMNH].

Diagnosis.

Eadmuna paloa has more elongate forewings with larger hyaline areas than any other Eadmuna species. The vesica has a single, large, straight cornutus that is fused to progressively smaller, parallel cornuti that transition into a mane of long, clear, hair-like projections that originate from the vesica. Additionally, the lobes of the basal half of the tegumen are much more heavily sclerotized in all Eadmuna paloa examined than in other species in the genus. The female is larger than the male, with broader wings and darker, more pronounced antemedial and postmedial lines. The female of Eadmuna paloa is similar to the female of Eadmuna pulverula , but the forewings are less falcate, with larger hyaline patches, and there is no longitudinal dark line on the venter of the abdomen.

The primary genital characters used to differentiate Eadmuna esperans and Eadmuna paloa are the vesica and cornutus. In Eadmuna esperans the vesica is sac-like and covered in a scobinate patch whereas the vesica of Eadmuna paloa is thinner and more cylindrical, and bears a single large cornutus. Aside from the very good genitalia characters, the two species can also be readily differentiated by wing morphology. Eadmuna paloa is generally more silvery in color with more acutely triangular forewings, has much larger forewing hyaline areas, and males have less pronounced postmedial lines.

Description.

Male.Head: As for genus, but more off white in color rather than straw colored; dorsal surface of labial palpi and area surrounding eyes covered in contrasting brown scales. Labial palpi and antennal tufts smaller. Thorax: As for genus, but as on head, scales of thorax lighter in coloration than in other species, thus darker petiolate scales more pronounced. Legs: As for genus, but tibial spurs clothed in small scales varying from covering proximal half to near entirety. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 16-20mm, avg. 18 mm, n=16. As for genus, but more acutely triangular, convex margins not concave near apex, lower quarter of forewing bows out slightly. Silvery gray brown with especially contrasting, extensive speckling due to dark, petiolate scales. Postmedial region roughly concolorous with rest of forewing, though silvery sheen lost near margin, so margin a singed-brown color. Hyaline discal spot prominent, large, very clear, not covered in scales, outlined by dark scales, M2 separates hyaline patch into two distinct regions, creating a rough B-shape. Very faint postmedial line bulging in costal half, dentate, narrowly interrupted by veins, weaker on costal third except for darker wedge on costa. Antemedial line faint. Fringe white, contrasting with darker brown edge of wing. Forewing venter: As for dorsum, but lighter overall; postmedial line usually much darker. Hindwing dorsum: Rounded, slightly pronounced anal angle, bearing similar coloration to forewings. Postmedial line, when present, may be more strongly marked than on forewing. No hyaline patches present. Fringe as for forewing. Hindwing venter: As for dorsum, but lighter, postmedial line usually much darker. Wing venation: As for genus. Abdomen: As for genus, concolorous with thorax, but silvery instead of straw-colored. Genitalia: n=8. As for genus, uncus simple, teardrop shaped, extended apically with moderate thickness distally. Ridged ventral lobes of tegumen subtriangular, prominently sclerotized. Ridges thinner than for other species, and thus sharper and flatter, with central ridge especially pronounced. Valves simple, short and stocky for genus, bent upwards at a roughly ninety degree angle so distal ends of valves more in parallel with uncus than angled away. Sclerotized plate, dorsal to juxta and phallus, truncated dorsally with two heavily sclerotized points. Phallus, simple, cylindrical, distal end rounded, vesica elongated with single large cornutus fused to progressively smaller parallel cornuti transitioning into a mane of long, clear, hair-like projections that originate from vesica near base of cornutus, reaching outwards to surround cornutus. Female.Head: As for male, antennae bipectinate. Thorax: As for male. Legs: As for male, but small scales nearly completely cover tibial spurs. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 22-24 mm, avg. 23 mm n=2. As for male but much broader. Postmedial region lighter, more silvery-grey than medial area. Hyaline discal mark large, prominent. Postmedial line, more pronounced than for male, brown, dentate, narrowly interrupted by veins, dark wedge where postmedial line meets costa. Antemedial lines, bilobed, B-shaped. Forewing venter: As for dorsum, but lighter, postmedial line more contrasting. Hindwing dorsum: As for male, but broader, with hardly accentuated anal angle, essentially bearing same coloration as forewing. Unlike in male, entire hindwing, save for postmedial line, concolorous silvery gray, without a brown edge and without darker medial area on forewing. Dentate postmedial line dark and well pronounced, narrowly interrupted by veins, slightly darker than forewing ground color. No hyaline patches present. Hindwing venter: As for dorsum, but lighter, postmedial line more contrasting. Wing venation: As for genus. Abdomen: Much thicker than that of male. Color as for thorax, though darkening somewhat distally. Genitalia: n=2. Papillae anales elongated, covered in fine setae, apophyses posteriores about half length of apophyses anteriores, so that when abdominal segments fully distended apophyses posteriores extend about to posterior margin of eighth segment. Ductus bursae short, ostium opening immediately into corpus bursae. Corpus bursae firm, round, with heavily-sclerotized, internal bar-like structures reinforcing membrane, appendix bursae elongated. Two very elongated, thin sclerotized plates on venter of eighth segment.

Distribution.

This species is known only from southeastern and southern Brazil. São Paulo is the type locality, which was erroneously reported as Paraguay in Becker (1996). In southern Brazil, specimens were examined from the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná. Eadmuna paloa is also known from Diamantina, Minas Gerais from four specimens in the AMNH. This record is of considerable distance from the other localities closer to the coast and falls within the Cerrado biome ( IBGE 2004). The only elevation data comes from the two Paraná specimens and the Jacupiranga, São Paulo locality, which are of moderate elevation, both localities sited at 800 m.

Remarks.

Eadmuna paloa was synonymized with Eadmuna esperans by Becker (1996) without justification. The genitalia of the two species are shown to be substantially different, particularly the vesica and presence/absence of a cornutus. Both species are found to be sympatric, at least in Jaraguá [do Sul], Santa Catarina, Brazil.

This work describes the first female specimens to be attributed to Eadmuna . The two female specimens from the AMNH are part of a series of Eadmuna paloa from Rio Vermelho, Santa Catarina, Brazil, which includes two male specimens that, based on wing morphology and genitalia characteristics, match the male holotype of Eadmuna paloa from São Paulo. The wing morphology of the females is very similar to that of the males, particularly the silvery-gray coloration, highly dentate postmedial lines on all wings, and the presence of a large hyaline patch on the forewing. Additional support for associating these females with Eadmuna paloa is that the corpus bursae is highly sclerotized and strongly reinforced, potentially protecting the more membranous material of the corpus bursae from puncture due to the highly sclerotized and very sharp cornutus of the male (B. C. Schmidt pers. comm.). Males of Eadmuna esperans do not bear cornuti, only a scobinate patch on the vesica, thus relatively reduced sclerotization of the corpus would be expected in the female of Eadmuna esperans . The two females from Santa Catarina are therefore most reasonably associated with Eadmuna paloa males, which are much more frequent in collections.