Menevia torvamessoria, 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 : 45-46

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Mimallonidae

Menevia torvamessoria sp. n. Figs 11, 17, 74; Map 1

Type material.

Holotype, ♂: PERU: La Union [La Unión], R. Huacamayo, Carabaya [Puno], 2000 ft., wet s., Nov. 1904 (G. Ockenden)/ Rothschild Bequest BM 1939-1/ St. Laurent diss.: 6-29-15:4/ BMNH(E) 1378762/ HOLOTYPE male Menevia torvamessoria St Laurent and Dombroskie, 2016 [handwritten red label] (NHMUK). Type locality: Peru: Puno: Carabaya: La Unión.

Paratypes, 2 ♂: BRAZIL: Pará: 1 ♂, Monte Cristo, Rio Tapajós: Dognin Collection, USNM-Mimal: 2576, St. Laurent diss.: 3-7-15:5 (USNM). PERU: 1 ♂, S. Domingo, Carabaya [Puno], 6500 ft.: XII.1902, wet s., “591”, Rothschild Bequest BM 1939-1, St. Laurent diss.: 6-29-15:5, BMNH(E) 1378761 (NHMUK). - All paratypes with the following yellow label: PARATYPE male Menevia torvamessoria St Laurent and Dombroskie, 2016.

Diagnosis.

Externally, Menevia torvamessoria is similar to Menevia lantona , but can be distinguished by the darker, yellow-orange ground color (in well-preserved specimens); Menevia lantona is lighter, more yellow-tan. Additionally, the postmedial line is very dark and contrasting in Menevia torvamessoria and there is a roughly rectangular gray patch of scales that extends from the discal region to the postmedial line. There is a similar gray patch in Menevia lantona but is not so well defined. The most outstanding diagnostic features of this new species are in the male genitalia. The phallus is unlike any other in the genus, it is almost pistol shaped and sharply bent halfway along its length. The dorsal surface of the proximal end of the phallus bears a distinct triangular or rounded ridge while the remainder of the length of the phallus is smooth, elongated, and tubular. The juxtal processes are very thin, shorter and more curved in other species in the lantona species-group. The gnathos processes are unique in that they are cupped and circular. The valves are unlike the previous species in that they are symmetrical and do not bear teeth on the saccular edge, but instead have distinct sclerotized inward facing lobes at the base of the valves, which conceal the gnathos. The sides of the tegumen are greatly bowed outwards, causing it to appear almost circular. Finally, the scythe-like uncus is acutely triangular and sharply hooked.

Description.

Male.Head: Brownish tan or almost black, eyes bordered posteriorly by dark brown collar of scales reaching labial palpi, labial palpi small, segments moderately well defined ventrally due to ventral tufts, dorsally with darker scales contrasting with overall lighter coloration. Scape and pedicel thinly tufted. Thorax: As for genus but light tan, fading to straw. Legs: As for genus. Tibial spurs relatively small, only lightly scaled, especially proximally. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 14-16.5 mm, avg.: 14.8 mm, n = 3. Triangular, apical half of outer margin concave, apex slightly falcate. Ground color orange-yellow with elongate, gray rectangle of scales extending from discal region to postmedial line, overall very sparsely speckled by dark petiolate scales. Discal spot faintly marked by light gray. Apex marked by black scales above scythe-like apical dash. Slightly undulating postmedial line black, strongly contrasting. Antemedial area lighter, submarginal area gray with slight invasion of medial area coloration near tornus, postmedial lunule originating from near where apical dash meets postmedial line, forming scythe-like dash, lunule follows postmedial line from apex to one third length of postmedial line where lunule smoothly curves outward toward wing margin, forming roughly 45 degree angle with postmedial line. Antemedial line very faint or absent, if present, brown, undulating, bowed out near anal margin. Forewing venter: As in forewing dorsum but postmedial line fainter, undulations more distinct, antemedial line absent, small black, rounded or oblong discal spot present. Hindwing dorsum: Rounded, anal angle weakly accentuated, similar coloration and patterning as forewings, but postmedial lunule almost nonexistent, antemedial line absent, postmedial line more undulated and brown, not black and contrasting, undulations prominent, especially near anal angle. Hindwing venter: Following similar pattern as forewing venter, but lighter, discal spot much less distinct or absent. Abdomen: As for genus. Coloration a continuation of tan thoracic color. Midventral stripe absent. Genitalia: (Fig. 74) n = 3. Tegumen almost circular, sides bowed out dramatically. Vinculum somewhat broad, quadrate ventrally. Transtilla tusks relatively short, thick, bent. Valves symmetrical, base of valves each with bulbous lobe pointed inward, partially covering gnathos. Valves bent mesally. Uncus extremely truncated apically, apex hooked, scythe-like. Gnathos projections as pair of cupped, rounded flaps, situated behind inward facing extensions at base of valves. Juxtal processes shorter than phallus, thin, curved. Base of phallus with paired, short, rounded, diverging, ventrally angled lobes. Phallus pistol shaped, sharply bent mesally, dorsal surface of proximal end of phallus with distinct triangular or rounded ridge, remainder of phallus thin, elongated, and tubular. Left edge of rolled phallus simple, without ridge-like process except for rounded or triangular ridge proximally, distal tip of phallus separated into two distinct points. Vesica small, sac-like. Female. Unknown.

Distribution

(Map 1). Menevia torvamessoria is known from only three locations, one of them being questionable. Two specimens, including the holotype, come from two nearby localities in the Carabaya Province of Peru, in the Cordillera Oriental. The type locality, La Unión, is at about 609 m elevation, while the paratype from nearby Santo Domingo was collected at a rather high elevation for the genus, about 1981 m. From these two data points it seems logical to infer that Menevia torvamessoria is a species of moderate elevation, apparently from the Andean Cordillera Oriental. However, a third specimen questionably from Brazil (not shown on Map 1), is discussed in the remarks below.

Etymology.

Menevia torvamessoria is named for the unique hooked uncus, reminiscent of the Grim Reaper’s (=torva messor Latin) scythe. The name is doubly appropriate to describe the apical dash, which combined with the postmedial lunule of the forewing, is scythe-like, a character seen in all Menevia species.

Remarks.

Although externally Menevia torvamessoria is rather similar to Menevia lantona , this new species is wholly unlike any other in the genus when taking into account male genitalia. Every aspect of the genitalia, particularly the hooked uncus, circular tegumen, cupped gnathos processes, bulbous projections at the base of the valves, and the shape of the phallus, are all unique to this species. Menevia torvamessoria belongs in the genus Menevia due to the presence of the general structure of the genitalia such as the paired gnathos, juxtal processes, and outward facing tusks; but it is difficult to assign this taxon to a species-group based on genitalia alone. External characters, however, such as the size, orange-yellow coloration, and weakly falcate forewings, tentatively allow placement of Menevia torvamessoria in the Menevia lantona species-group.

In addition to the unusual genitalia, the distribution is also strange, but this may be due to one specimen being incorrectly labeled. One paratype bears a nearly illegible label reading "Monte Cristo, Rio Tapajós, Amazonas" and seems to be from Monte Cristo, in the Brazilian state of Pará, on the Tapajós River. This particular location is very low in elevation, with some hills only as high as about 300 m nearby (as determined from Google Earth), which is quite divergent from the Andean foothill localities of the holotype and paratype. Either the specimen is mislabeled or Menevia torvamessoria is very widespread in South America, and apparently very rare. Regardless of the uncertainty of the collecting locality of this paratype, its genitalia display the very unique and bizarre characteristics of the specimens from southern Peru and the ground color of this specimen is the same distinctive orange-yellow of Menevia torvamessoria , thus we include this individual in the type series given that there are so few examples of this species available.