Yagra Oiticica, 1955

Moraes, Simeão S., Duarte, Marcelo & Miller, Jacqueline Y., 2011, Revision of the Neotropical genus Yagra Oiticica (Lepidoptera: Castniidae), Journal of Natural History 45 (25 - 26), pp. 1511-1531 : 1513-1515

Yagra Oiticica, 1955

( Figures 1–7 )

Type species: Castnia dalmannii Gray, 1838 , fixed by original designation by Oiticica (1955).

Graya Houlbert, 1918 (nec Buchecker, [1880]): 284 (taxonomy).

Yagra Oiticica, 1955: 158 (taxonomy); Miller 1995: 134 (checklist); Lamas 1995: 77 (checklist).

Diagnosis

Fore wing brown, with a distinguishable white or diffuse white over-scaled with brown, oblique, postmedian band. Hind wing variable in colour, usually beige or white and orange. Valva aquiline, internal surface with tooth-like projection; penis containing a sclerotized plate with spines. Eighth tergum with lateral margin sinuous in females.

Redescription

Head, antenna dark brown with 62–74 segments. Eye glabrous, with white scales covering posteroventral margin. Clypeus glabrous. Proboscis well-developed and ferruginous. Labial palpi three-segmented and erect.

Thoracic segments ferruginous dorsally, yellowish ventrally. Legs brown, tibiae without spines, tibial spurs 0:2:4, asymmetrical and well-developed; tarsi with spines randomly distributed on posterior surface, first tarsomere with length equal to the sum of the others, arolium cordate. Fore wing triangular with outer margin straight. Dorsal surface ferruginous brown; oblique, postmedian band from costal margin to inner margin, two dorsal white spots on band: one between R 3 and R 4, the other between R 4 and R 5, the latter not visible in males; whitish spot across the distal end discal cell and between M 1 and M 2, more evident in females. Ventral surface beige, brighter triangular area extends from vertex to anal angle, pattern of spots similar to the dorsal surface, with additional spots between M 3 and CuA 1, CuA 2 and CuP, CuP and 2A. Colour pattern of dorsal hind wings variable, usually orange at costal and external margin and discal region white or yellowish. Ventral hind wing similar but paler, especially along the outer margin.

Wing venation: fore wing with 14 longitudinal veins. Radius with five branches; subcosta separate from R 1 at base, terminating beyond half of the length of the costal margin; discal cell half the length of the costal margin, partially closed, triangular, reduced at end cell; chorda ellipsoidal, extended slightly beyond end discal cell; R 1 and R 2 arising from one-third and two-thirds the length of discal cell respectively, both ending at costal margin; R 3 and R 4 stalked, separated beyond the distal half of the costal margin; R 3 + R 4 and R 5 separate at the distal end of chorda; R 3 ending near apex, R 4 and R 5 ending at outer margin. Origin of M 2 and M 3 proximal at base; M 1, M 2 and M 3 equidistant at distal portion; origin of CuA 1 at three-fourths of the length of the discal cell, and CuA 2 at half the length of the discal cell; CuP arising at the base of discal cell; accessory cell, usually present posterior to discal cell, closed by cross vein m 3 -cua 1. Origin of 2A and 3A at the wing base, connected by cross vein 2a-3a; 3A not reaching the outer margin. Hind wing with nine longitudinal veins. Discal cell open. Vein Sc + R 1 ending before apex; Rs and M 1 stalked slightly less than one-fourth the length of the costal margin; M 2, M 3, CuA 1 and CuA 2 arising near the accessory cell formed by the cross vein m 3 -cua 1; 1A + 2A and 3A not forked at base and ending at outer margin.

Abdominal segments yellow or whitish with tergites A1–A3 brown; ventral surface of all segments yellowish, with a prominent scale tuft at the end of abdomen.

Male genitalia: tegumen rectangular in dorsal view. Uncus with three lobes, lateral lobes wider than medial one. Gnathos excavate posteriorly, dorsal and ventral arms sclerotized, fused anteriorly. Distal end of valva aquiline, inner surface with tooth-like projection; upper margin convex beyond the costa, lower margin excavate; costa sclerotized. Vinculum rectangular. Subscaphium moderately sclerotized. Sacculus weakly developed, consisting of a fold on the inner surface of the valva, oriented anteriorly. Saccus developed, anterior projections rounded and apically curved. Juxta apparently absent. Penis recurved and contorted; spines located in a sclerotized plate at the distal region; vesica lacking cornuti. Coecum developed, longer than the maximum diameter of the ejaculatory bulb foramen, usually ornamented with ridges.

Female genitalia: eighth tergum with anterior margin concave, central band weakly sclerotized, extending beyond the middle portion but never reaching the posterior margin; posterior half subtriangular or sometimes slightly rounded, with lateral margin sinuous. Lamella antevaginalis weakly sclerotized. Lamella postvaginalis absent. Anterior and posterior apophyses well-developed, the former two-fifths the length of the latter. Papillae anales weakly sclerotized and setose. Antrum sclerotized, longer than wide. Ductus bursae with a distinct region spirally twisted near corpus bursae. Corpus bursae with signa symmetrical, circular, slightly indented on one side. Bulla seminalis internally setose, longer than wide.

Etymology

The name Yagra is an anagram proposed by Oiticica (1955) to replace the generic name Graya used by Houlbert (1918) as a misapplication of Graya Buchecker, [1880] , and also a junior homonym of Graya Bonaparte 1856 (Aves) .

Species included

Yagra dalmannii ( Gray, 1838) and Yagra fonscolombe ( Godart, 1824) .

Comments

Females generally larger than males, with minor sexual dimorphism both in the fore wing spots and in the hind wing submarginal band. Venation invariable, except for a single specimen of Y. fonscolombe (female of unknown locality) without fore wing accessory cell. The juxta in the male genitalia was not evident for either species; apparently it is absent or completely membranous. In this case, the support of the penis is possibly made by a fold at the posterior margin of the saccus, located in a very similar position to that occupied by the juxta in other species of Castniini .

Figures

Figure 1. Adults of Yagra Oiticica. (A), (B) Male of Yagra dalmannii (Gray), without locality (USNM), dorsal and ventral views, respectively; (C), (D) female of Yagra dalmannii (Gray), Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ), dorsal and ventral views, respectively; (E), (F) male of Yagra fonscolombe (Godart), Rio de Janeiro (USNM), dorsal and ventral views, respectively; (G), (H) female of Yagra fonscolombe (Godart), Rio de Janeiro (MZSP), dorsal and ventral views, respectively. Scales 1 cm.

Figure 2. Wing venation. (A), (B) Yagra dalmannii (Gray), without locality (MZSP), fore wing and hind wing respectively; (C), (D) Yagra fonscolombe (Godart), without locality (MZSP), fore wing and hind wing respectively. Scales 1 cm.

Figure 3. Male genitalia of Yagra dalmannii (Gray), Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro (MZSP). (A) Penis, lateral view; (B) genital capsule, lateral view; (C) genital capsule without valva, lateral view; (D) tegumen and uncus, dorsal view; (E) valva, internal view; (F) genital capsule, posterior view; (G) saccus, ventral view. Scales 1 mm.

Figure 4. Female genitalia of Yagra dalmannii (Gray), Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) lateral view. Scales 1 mm.

Figure 5. Male genitalia of Yagra fonscolombe (Godart), Timbó, Santa Catarina (MZSP). (A) Penis, lateral view; (B) genital capsule, lateral view; (C) genital capsule without valva, lateral view; (D) tegumen and uncus, dorsal view; (E) valva, internal view; (F) genital capsule, posterior view; (G) saccus, ventral view. Scales 1 mm.

Figure 6. Female genitalia of Yagra fonscolombe (Godart), Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) lateral view. Scales 1 mm.

Figure 7. Distribution of the species included in Yagra Oiticica. (A) Yagra dalmannii (Gray); (B) Yagra fonscolombe (Godart).