Auroriana colombiana St Laurent & C. Mielke

St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Mielke, Carlos G. C., 2016, Three new genera of Neotropical Mimallonidae (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with descriptions of three new species, ZooKeys 566, pp. 117-143 : 124-127

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Mimallonidae

Auroriana colombiana St Laurent & C. Mielke sp. n. Figs 8, 13, 14, 19

Type material.

Holotype, ♂: Ob. Rio Negro [Upper Río Negro], Ost Colombia 800 m, Coll. Fassl/ Joicey Coll., Brit. Mus. 1925-157/ BMNH(E) 1378121/ St. Laurent diss.: 11-3-15:1/ HOLOTYPE male Auroriana colombiana St Laurent and C. Mielke, 2016 [handwritten red label]/ (BMNH). Type locality: Colombia: Meta: Rio Negro.

Paratype, 1 ♂: COLOMBIA: Upper Río Negro [Meta], 800 m: Coll. Fassl, Joicey Coll., Brit. Mus. 1925-57, BMNH(E) 1378116, St. Laurent diss.: 10-21-15:3 (BMNH). Paratype with the following yellow label: PARATYPE male Auroriana colombiana St Laurent and C. Mielke, 2016.

Diagnosis.

This new species is most similar to Auroriana florianensis in adult habitus but can easily be differentiated by the larger size, darker, straighter, better defined postmedial lines on all wings, and the more solid pink medial area. The genitalia also immediately distinguish these two species: in Auroriana colombiana the valves are narrower and less triangular, and the paired processes of the gnathos are two-pronged structures, rather than thick, triangular, basally-spined structures as in Auroriana florianensis . The phallus is similar in both species, but in Auroriana colombiana it is larger, more deeply curved, and the distal curve is more developed and backwardly angled.

Description.

Male.Head: Light pink, eyes bordered posteriorly by black scales; antenna opaque yellow; labial palpus small, dorsally with darker scales. Thorax: Pink, interspersed with beige scales. Legs: Light pink, vestiture long, tarsus pale brown, tarsal spurs relatively long, clothed in pink scales except naked, finely-pointed apical tip. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 20-21 mm, avg. 20.5 mm, Wingspan: 36-38 mm, avg. 37 mm, n = 2. Triangular, slight inward notch at tornus, margin convex mesally. Ground color light orange brown, medial region very sparsely speckled by dark petiolate scales. Antemedial line diffuse, faint pink, nearly straight. Postmedial line bowed inward slightly, dark brown, outward edge finely lined with pale pink, especially near tornus, postmedial line angled sharply towards costa after passing Rs4. Antemedial area pink. Postmedial area darker brown orange with pale pink-gray suffusion near wing margin, medial area lighter orange with pink suffusion, especially along postmedial line. Discal spot a small black, elongated mark. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but postmedial line very faint; antemedial line absent; deeper orange overall with reduced pink suffusion. Hindwing dorsum: Coloration as for forewing dorsum; well-defined postmedial line lacks outer pink edging. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum but pinker, lighter overall. Abdomen: As for genus, coloration as for thorax, but less pink. Genitalia: (Figs 13, 14) n = 2. Tegumen narrow, rectangular. Vinculum ovoid with small pointed projection ventrally between saccular bases of valves. Uncus small, triangular. Gnathos as two unfused heavily-sclerotized, two-pronged processes. Valves simple, bent upward, saccular edge with mesal lobe, base of valve with elongated, trumpet-shaped processes, process of left valve longer than that of right; base of valves with long, thick deciduous setae. Juxta fused to phallus, with elongate, flattened ventral process connecting phallus-juxta complex to base of valves. Phallus very elongated, curved, downturned, terminus with hook-like backwardly-angled process, base of phallus with elongated lobe. Female. Unknown.

Distribution

(Fig. 19). Auroriana colombiana is so far known only from the type locality in central Colombia.

Etymology.

This species is named for Colombia, as it is the only species in the genus known from this country.

Remarks.

Although this species resembles Auroriana florianensis , the striking genital differences clearly differentiate the two. Auroriana florianensis and Auroriana colombiana seem to represent an Amazonian lineage of Auroriana , unified by the presence of heavier setae on the saccular basal edge of the valves and by the relatively large, elongate phallus, characters that are not present in Auroriana gemma sp. n. described below.