Baniana minor Lafontaine & Walsh, 2010

Lafontaine, Donald & Walsh, J., 2010, A review of the subfamily Anobinae with the description of a new species of Baniana Walker from North and Central America (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Anobinae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 3-11 : 7-10

Baniana minor Lafontaine & Walsh , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:26940137-FF02-4590-8ACA-4555715F9E39

Figs 4–6, 11, 13

Type material. Holotype male. Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., 4900’, Patagonia Mts., Harshaw , UV / MV light, oak and mesquite grassland habitat, 29 Aug. 2006, B. Walsh leg., CNC Noctuoidea slide 15866, Barcote of Life voucher CNC Noctuoidea NOC14005. CNC . Paratypes: 2 ♁, 4 ♀. USA, Arizona. Same locality and collector as for holotype, 27, 28 Aug. 2007 (2 ♁), 13 July 2008 (3 ♀), J. B. Walsh leg. ; Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia Mts., Harshaw area , 30 Aug. 2005, H. Grisham (1 ♀) . Paratypes deposited in CDF, CNC, JBW.

Other material examined: Costa Rica, Guanacaste Prov., Santa Rosa National Park, 29–30 April 1980, D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs (1 ♁). Costa Rica, Area de Conservacion de Guanacaste: Hotel Borinquen , 22 Sept. 2006, F. Quesada & H. Cambronero (1 ♀) ; Sector Santa Rosa , 25 May 2007 (1 ♀) ; Sector Mundo Nuevo , 13 Nov. & 9 Dec. 2007 (2 ♀), R. Franco & H. Cambronero .

Etymology. The species name minor refers to the small size of this species of Baniana .

Diagnosis. Baniana minor can be recognized by its small size (forewing length: 8–9 mm), the relatively short bulging black area near the middle of the antemedial line, and by the ventral subbasal process on the ventral margin of the uncus. Other differences in B. gobar are given in brackets in the description of B. minor .

Description. Adults. Male and female similar in size, color, and maculation. Forewing length: 8–9 mm. Head – Male antenna bipectinate, with longest rami 4 × as wide as central shaft; apical seta long, 2 × as long as central shaft and 1/2 as long as rami. Female antenna bead-like, constricted between segments. Palpi appearing laterally flattened and blade-like with scale row ventrally and dorsally; apical segment short and rounded, 0.20–0.25 × length of second segment. Scales narrow and strap-like,

Figures Ι–8. Adults of Anobinae . Ι Anoba sp. trigonoides species complex, male (Paraguari, Paraguay) 2 Anoba sp. trigonoides species complex, female (Itapua, Paraguay) 3 Baniana significans male holotype (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) 4 Baniana minor male (Guanacaste, Costa Rica) 5 Baniana minor male paratype (Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA) 6 Baniana minor female paratype (Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA) 7 Baniana gobar male (Puebla, Mexico) 8 Baniana gobar female (Puebla, Mexico).

yellow brown on labial palpi and head, and reddish orange on prothoracic collar. Thorax – Covered with narrow strap-like scales, forming black transverse band posterior to prothoracic collar, pale gray brown elsewhere. Legs: Foretibia covered with pale reddishbrown scales; scales on middle and hind tibiae and tarsi with pale gray-brown scales with scattered dark-brown scales. Tibia without spiniform setae and without long tufts of scales. Wings: Dorsal forewing mainly gray with scattered brown scales; basal line absent; antemedial line with straight inner margin, outer margin bulging into medial area between anal and cubital vein, line obsolete in upper part of cell but reappearing as dark wedge on costa; second wedge-shaped spot on costa at position of medial line; orbicular spot a black dot in cell between two wedges on costa; reniform spot a black dot or teardrop-shaped spot above curve in postmedial line; postmedial line extending down from costa, parallel to outer margin of wing, curving abruptly inward at vein M3, then upward to touch or almost touch reniform spot, then extending down to posterior margin of wing slightly beyond middle of hind margin; postmedial line black with sharply-defined inner margin but diffuse outwardly with black and brown scales fading to mainly pale-gray scales in most of subterminal and terminal area; terminal line black, slightly enlarged between veins, broken at position of veins; fringe a mixture of pale-gray and dark-gray scales. Hindwing fuscous, slightly paler toward wing base in males; terminal line dark gray; fringe fuscous. Male genitalia – Uncus: basal 2/3 cylindrical with low, sclerotized mid-dorsal ridge [basally “winged” with lateral carinae in B. gobar ]; a curved finger-like lobe projecting from ventral surface at 1/3 from base [absent in B. gobar ]; apical 1/3 of uncus abruptly bent downward with apex dorsoventrally flat [evenly curved in B. gobar ]. Tegumen broad, hood-like, projecting posteriorly. Saccus very short, with pointed anterior process. Juxta elongated, somewhat V-shaped with lower (anterior) extension tapered and lightly sclerotized; upper (posterior) extension divided into two heavily sclerotized processes covered with spines [spines absent in B. gobar ]. Valve broad basally, evenly tapered and down-curved to apex; setose clavus-like process at base of costal margin of valve projecting 1/2 distance across valve [projecting 1/4 distance in B. gobar ]; curved carina at apex of sacculus on left valve, angled and near middle of valve on right side [carinae at apex of sacculi on both valves but asymmetrical in B. gobar ]; costal margin of valve evenly convex [costal margin with serrated fin-like process near middle and setose lobe at 3/ 4 in B. gobar ]. Aedeagus cylindrical and straight [curved through 90 degree angle at 1/3 from base and tapered to apex in B. gobar ]. Female genitalia – Corpus bursae very long, 8 × long as ductus bursae, but posterior 3/4 long and narrow, resembling a ductus bursae; ductus seminalis at posterior end of corpus bursae on a small appendix bursae; ductus bursae constricted to 1/2 width immediately posterior to ostium bursae; ostium bursae, ductus bursae, and posterior 1/4 of corpus bursae sclerotized. Abdominal segment eight (A8) lightly sclerotized except for two large triangular heavily-sclerotized postvaginal plates, tapered posteriorly and partially fused where they meet. Posterior apophyses 2 × as long as lateral length of A8 and 1.5 × as long as anterior apophyses. Anal papillae as long as lateral width, truncated posteriorly, covered with short setae.

Distribution and biology. Baniana minor occurs in open woodland/grassland scrub habitat in southeastern Arizona and also occurs, probably in similar habitat in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Adults have been collected between mid-July and late August in Arizona. Costa Rican records are from April, May, September, November, and December.

Figures 9–Ι4. Genitalia of Anobinae . 9 Anoba trigonoides , male genitalia (Lara, Venezuela) Ι0 Deinopa delinquens , male genitalia (Amazonas, Brazil) ΙΙ Baniana minor , male genitalia (Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA) Ι2 Baniana gobar , male genitalia (Sinaloa, Mexico) Ι3 Baniana minor female genitalia (Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA) Ι4 Baniana gobar , female genitalia. (Sinaloa, Mexico)

Remarks. Singleton specimens of undescribed species from Veracruz, Mexico and Guanacaste, Costa Rica, indicate that there are several additional undescribed species of Baniana in southern Mexico and Central America.