Menevia franclemonti, St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Dombroskie, Jason J., 2016

St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Dombroskie, Jason J., 2016, Revision of the genus Menevia Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with the description of 11 new species, ZooKeys 566, pp. 31-116 : 86-89

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Mimallonidae

Menevia franclemonti sp. n. Figs 60, 61, 68, 88; Map 5

Type material.

Holotype, ♂: BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: Jaragua [ Jaraguá do Sul], Santa Catharina, Brazil, 10 Nov 1934, Fritz Hoffmann/ PARATYPE Menevia falco J. G. Franclemont/ St. Laurent diss.: 4-25-15:5/ Franclemont’s label refers to a MS name./ HOLOTYPE male Menevia franclemonti St Laurent and Dombroskie, 2016 [handwritten red label]/ (CUIC). Type locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina: Jaraguá do Sul.

Paratypes, 10 ♂, 1 ♀: BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: 1 ♂, Petrópolis, Independência, 900 m: 15.XI.1939, Gagarin leg., ex. col. Gagarin, DZ 32.717 (DZUP). 1 ♂, Petrópolis: 17.X.1960, Gagarin leg., ex. coll Gagarin, DZ 32.718 (DZUP). 2 ♂, Teresópolis, Barreira, 350 m: 30.X.1956-3.XI.1956, 1.XII.1956, Pearson H&G, HRP No. 1070, USNM-Mimal: 2272, 2273, St. Laurent diss.: 4-25-15:6 (USNM). 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Teresópolis, Barreira: 12.XI.1955, 17.XI.1955, 19.XI.1955, ex. col. Gagarin, DZ 32.719-32.721 (DZUP). Santa Catarina: 2 ♂, Jaraguá do Sul: 17.XI.1934, 20.XI.1934, Fritz Hoffmann, Franclemont diss.: 1760 (CUIC). São Paulo: 1 ♂, Juqueí: 20.III.1976, ex. coleção A. Cardoso, DZ 32.716 (DZUP). 1 ♂, Ubatuba, 10 m: 13-20.XII.1963, Prof. Heinz Ebert, St. Laurent diss.: 4-25-15:7 (CMNH). - All paratypes with the following yellow label: PARATYPE male/female Menevia franclemonti St Laurent and Dombroskie, 2016.

Diagnosis.

Very similar to Menevia vulgaris , but distinguished by the usually warmer brown hue rather than gray, more sharply falcate forewings, and a more smoothly curving postmedial line on the hindwing, which does not sharply bend toward the anterior wing margin. The male genitalia are also unique in that the phallus is thin and smooth, not irregularly shaped dorsally, with the sclerotized portion of the distal end of the phallus diagonal rather than vertical as in Menevia vulgaris . Furthermore, the base of the sclerotized terminus of the phallus, on the venter, has a prominent bump, angled away from the distal end of the phallus. Menevia franclemonti replaces Menevia vulgaris in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Description.

Male.Head: Gray, eyes large comprising about two-thirds of head area, eyes bordered posteriorly by light brownish gray collar of scales reaching labial palpi, labial palpi very small, dorsally with darker scales contrasting with overall gray coloration. Scape and pedicel tufted. Thorax: As for genus. Light gray to brown. Legs: As for genus. Tibial spurs small, short, almost entirely scaled, except distal tip. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 25-27 mm, avg.: 26.1 mm, n = 6. Elongated, acutely triangular, apical half of outer margin highly concave, apex very falcate. Ground color gray or warm brown with darker gray, brown, or reddish brown suffusion, especially near interior edge of postmedial line and medial area; brownish red to blood red coloration near apex along apical interior of postmedial line, overall lightly speckled by dark petiolate scales. Discal spot faintly marked by light gray oblong shape, thin gray mark connecting discal spot to costa. Apex marked by black scales above extended apical dash. Postmedial line smooth, mostly straight, line black, strongly contrasting. Submarginal area light gray with small grayish-white suffusion mesally, postmedial lunule as white band originating from apical dash, white band follows postmedial line from apex to anal wing margin. Antemedial line faint, brown, curved outwards. Forewing venter: As in forewing dorsum but antemedial area lighter gray, more contrasting, blood-red suffusion more pronounced, antemedial line absent, small black discal mark occasionally present. Hindwing dorsum: Triangular, anal angle usually sharply accentuated, reddish coloration that bleeds into medial area originates near anal angle, overall similar coloration and patterning as forewings, antemedial line absent, postmedial line weakly curved toward anterior wing margin, not concave mesally. Hindwing venter: Following similar pattern as forewing venter, but red coloration near anal angle much darker, discal mark sometimes present. Abdomen: As for genus, but somewhat elongated, nearly sphingiform. Coloration a continuation of gray thoracic color. Midventral stripe absent. Genitalia: (Fig. 88) n = 3. Tegumen elongated, ovoid, constricted near base of gnathos. Vinculum broad, somewhat quadrate ventrally. Valves triangular, saccular edge of left and right valves with triangular tooth proximal to transtilla, both valves with smaller mesal costal projection originating from central ridge of valve, projection immediately above saccular edge teeth, apex of mesal costal projection pointed toward saccular edge. Valves rounded apically. Uncus truncated apically, apex somewhat quadrate. Gnathos as two prominent flattened, moderately sclerotized, flap-like, somewhat rectangular, outward facing extensions with highly truncated apices. Apices form fingerlike projections of moderate length. Juxtal processes roughly phallus length, lightly sclerotized, curving toward apex of phallus. Juxtal processes very thin, sclerotization fading to more membranous portion, covered in fine setae. Base of phallus with paired, backwards facing, very short, rounded, diverging lobes. Phallus cylindrical, smooth dorsum lacking an extensive dorsal ridge, covered in setae. Left edge of rolled phallus smooth, without ridge-like process, base of sclerotized terminus of phallus with prominent ventral bump, angled away from distal end of phallus, distal tip of phallus separated into two distinct points. Vesica somewhat elongated, covered in setae laterally, originating from progressively weakened sclerotization of diagonal edge of phallus. Female.Head: As in male. Thorax: As in male. Legs: As in male. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: about 30 mm, n = 1. Maculation as in male, wing broader, less triangular, less falcate, antemedial line fainter. Forewing venter: As in forewing dorsum but with blood-red suffusion, antemedial line absent, thin black discal mark present. Hindwing dorsum: As in male but more rounded, less triangular, postmedial line straight, not concave mesally, but still only weakly curved toward anterior wing margin. Hindwing venter: Following similar pattern as forewing venter except lighter, reddish suffusion near anal angle much darker, contrasting. Abdomen: As in male but more robust. Genitalia: Not examined.

Distribution

(Map 5). Menevia franclemonti is found only in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina. This species is likely endemic to this region, where it replaces the similar, more widespread Menevia vulgaris .

Etymology.

Menevia franclemonti is named after the lepidopterist J. G. Franclemont, who originally recognized the uniqueness of this species. He also wrote an important fascicle on the Mimallonidae of North America north of Mexico ( Franclemont 1973).

Remarks.

This new species is the Brazilian Atlantic Forest component of the vulgaris subgroup of the plagiata species-group in much the same way that Menevia mielkei and Menevia magna are the Atlantic Forest components of the lucara and lantona species-groups respectively. Although Menevia franclemonti is not remarkably distinct from Menevia vulgaris , it is readily differentiated by the external and genitalia diagnostic characters presented above. Additionally, this species seems to be allopatric to all other species in this subgroup. Despite the differences, Menevia franclemonti , together with the similar Menevia vulgaris , have both been misidentified as Menevia plagiata for the reasons explained in the remarks of Menevia plagiata and Menevia vulgaris . The allopatry of Menevia vulgaris and Menevia franclemonti certainly affords that Menevia plagiata sensu stricto could not be applied to the Amazonian Menevia vulgaris , but it is certainly plausible that Walker’s (1855) description of Menevia plagiata could have applied to Menevia franclemonti due to its presence at the type locality of Menevia plagiata . However, due to the apparent rarity of Menevia franclemonti in collections, compared to the sympatric Menevia plagiata and the complete lack of Menevia franclemonti from the NHMUK, it is more plausible that the original material from Rio de Janeiro that Walker had at his disposal was in fact the species that we consider Menevia plagiata in this present work, and not Menevia franclemonti . We have resolved the ambiguity surrounding the application of the name plagiata by designating the neotype of this taxon above. If the holotype of Menevia plagiata is discovered in the future, and is found to be what we consider Menevia franclemonti , then it would be taxonomically simple to set aside the neotype under Article 75.8 of the ICZN (1999), synonymize this new species with Menevia plagiata , and redescribe what we currently consider to be Menevia plagiata as a new species.

As in the case of Menevia australis , J. G. Franclemont recognized this species as distinct and labeled specimens as holotype and paratypes (all from Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil) under his manuscript name Menevia ‡ falco . Rather than naming this species M. ‡ falco as he originally intended, we decided to honor J. G. Franclemont by naming this species after him for his work on Menevia and Mimallonidae in general.