Reinmara ignea, Laurent, Ryan A. St, Herbin, Daniel & Mielke, Carlos G. C., 2017

Laurent, Ryan A. St, Herbin, Daniel & Mielke, Carlos G. C., 2017, Revision of the genus Reinmara Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with the descriptions of four new species from South America, ZooKeys 677, pp. 97-129 : 113-116

Reinmara ignea sp. n. Figs 20-22, 30, 34-35, 36

Type material.

Holotype, ♀. BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: BRAZIL - SC, São Bento do Sul, Rio Natal, 550 m., (no date). I. Rank leg./ 20.982 Col. C. Mielke [dissec tion number equivalent]/ HOLOTYPE female Reinmara ignea St Laurent, Herbin, C. Mielke, 2017 [handwritten red label]/ (DZUP). Type locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina: São Bento do Sul, Rio Natal.

Paratypes.

(1 ♂, 1 ♀ total) BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: 1 ♂, São Bento do Sul, Rio Vermelho, 968 m: 26.II.1973, A. & J. Razowski leg., St Laurent diss.: 5-6-16:1 (ISEZ). Rio de Janeiro: 1 ♀, Nova Friburgo, 1100 m: 21.I.1998, V.O. Becker leg., ex. Coll. Becker 112810, St Laurent diss.: 2-29-16:1 (USNM).

Diagnosis.

This unique species cannot be confused with any other Mimallonidae . Reinmara ignea is the smallest species of Reinmara , bearing little outward resemblance to others of the genus. The tiny size, sharply acute and falcate forewings, thick postmedial and antemedial lines, narrow and curving phallus, are just the most immediately recognizable characters enabling the identification of this new species. We also note that this is the only species of Reinmara for which the female has bipectinate antennae like the male (albeit smaller overall), not dentate as in other female Reinmara .

Description.

Male.Head: As for genus but coloration pale beige, antenna coloration pale brown due to scaling, but much darker brown beneath scales, vestigial proboscis not visible. Thorax: Coloration as for head. Legs: Coloration as for thorax, vestiture homogenously colored. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 12 mm, wingspan: 24 mm, n=1. Triangular, outer margin concave; tornus weakly notched, apex falcate. Ground color light orange-brown, speckling of tiny petiolate scales. Ante- and medial areas concolorous, darker brown than submarginal area, submarginal area much lighter orange-brown, appearing nearly yellow, faint pale lunule-like marking along margin below apex. Antemedial line defined, dark brown, slightly outwardly bowed, postmedial line also dark brown, slightly wider than antemedial line, barely curved. Discal mark as pale splotch, with obscured, darker central region. Fringe not well preserved. Forewing ventrum: Compared to forewing dorsum, more subdued tan brown, homogenous across all areas of wing, antemedial line absent, postmedial line as for dorsum, petiolate scaling heavier, especially antemedially, discal mark dark brown streak. Hindwing dorsum: Shape more rounded than forewing, outer margin convex except straight anterior margin, patterning as for forewing dorsum but both ante- and medial areas lighter, more similar to submarginal area in coloration, antemedial line absent, postmedial line as for forewing dorsum, well defined, discal mark present but weakly as pale streak. Hindwing ventrum: Following same pattern as forewing ventrum. Abdomen: As for genus. Genitalia: (Fig. 30) n= 1. Rather typical of genus, differing in smaller setae-filled sacks in diaphragm, which contain fewer setae, a more triangular, truncated uncus, gnathos round rather than rectangular, with triangular, dual mesal extensions that are fused together, extensions barely separated distally into short paired, fingerlike tips, sacculus fold particularly well developed and more symmetrical, phallus strongly curved, distally flattened and bent. Female.Head: As for male but slightly darker in color; antenna bipectinate and similar to that of male, but slightly smaller overall. Thorax: As for male but darker brown. Legs: As for male but darker brown overall with lighter yellow tarsus, tibial spurs more heavily clothed in scales. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 12-16 mm, avg.: 14 mm, wingspan: 27 -31 mm, n=2. Shape essentially as for male but tornus slightly notched. Maculation as for male, but coloration darker orange-brown to red brown submarginally. Submarginal area proportionally wider. Forewing ventrum: Compared to forewing dorsum, more subdued tan brown, homogenous across all areas of wing, antemedial line absent, postmedial line as for dorsum, petiolate scaling heavier, especially antemedially, discal mark dark brown streak. Hindwing dorsum: As for male but medial and submarginal areas more distinctly bicolored (similar to forewing dorsum). Hindwing ventrum: Following same pattern as forewing ventrum. Frenulum as multiple bristles. Abdomen: Similar to that of male but more robust overall. Genitalia: (Figs 34, 35) n=2. Tergite of VIII forming short, thin posteriorly directed extension, VIII sclerotized laterally forming curving plate, but not extended to encircle papillae anales. Apophyses anteriores roughly equal in length apophyses posteriores. Lamella ante- and postvaginalis converge as a wide, bowl-like structure. Ductus bursae short, rectangular. Corpus bursae elongate, tubular. Papillae anales somewhat narrow, covered in long, fine setae.

Distribution

(Fig. 36). Reinmara ignea is so far known only from two nearby localities in São Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina, and a third locality in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. These two areas are separated by about 815 km and both fall in the mountainous region of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Etymology.

This new species is named for its fiery ( ignea Latin) coloration, reminiscent of burning embers.

Remarks.

Until the first author dissected the single male of this new species, proper generic placement was not clear to us, and we had originally considered R. ignea as belonging to an undescribed genus. Despite the outward uniqueness of both sexes, the genitalia of both sexes display characters fundamental to the diagnosis of the genus Reinmara . In the male, the structure and shape of the valves, the broad, mesally fused but distally separated gnathos, and balloon-like setae-filled sacs extending inward into the body cavity from the diaphragm are all typical of Reinmara , the gnathos character precluding R. ignea from placement in the related Trogoptera . Female genitalia are similar to those of other species of Reinmara , but the tergite VIII extension is particularly weakly sclerotized and thin (though present). We also note that this is the only species in the genus for which the female antennae are similar (bipectinate) to those of the male, just smaller, as in most mimallonid genera, not dentate as in the females of R. enthona , R. wolfei , and R. minasa .

We note minor difference in maculation of the two female specimens of R. ignea (compare Figs 21 and 22), as well as in their genitalia, but due to the otherwise close similarity (in comparison with other species in the genus) and the apparent rarity of this species, we include both specimens in the type species.

This species and R. atlantica may very well be of conservation concern due to the present state of fragmentation of the biome to which they are endemic ( Ribeiro et al. 2009). The lack of specimens of R. ignea from this otherwise relatively well-collected region suggests that it may be rare and/or only weakly attracted to light. It is notable that most specimens of R. ignea are female. The opposite is true for other Reinmara where both sexes are known, where males far outnumber collected females.

Two additional female specimens were located in the collection of Ivo Rank, collector of the holotype, but they are not included in the type series.