Patagobia Schmidt & De Freina

Schmidt, B. Christian & Freina, Josef J. De, 2011, Generic placement of the Neotropical species of " Phragmatobia " (Erebidae, Arctiinae), with a remarkable matrivorous species from the Peruvian Andes, ZooKeys 149, pp. 69-88 : 76

Patagobia Schmidt & De Freina gen. n.

Type species.

Turuptiana thursbyi Rothschild, 1910.

Etymology.

The name is derived from a combination of the words Patagonia and Phragmatobia .

Diagnosis.

Although Patagobia shows similarities to the Holarctic Phragmatobia in some external aspects, it differs in having longer, symmetrical rami of the male antenna, ochre thoracic collar, lack of a male clasper, pale tan forewing pattern (usually), and a restricted distribution to the Chilean Andes of South America. The wing colour and pattern is also similar to Andesobia , but structurally Patagobia has a more robust build with denser thoracic vestiture, equally long posterior and anterior male antennal rami (anterior rami shorter than posterior in Andesobia ), male antennal rami up to 3 × longer than antennal segment length (up to 2 × in Andesobia ); 2nd labial segment elongate, 1.8 × as long as wide, 1.5 × longer than apical segment; thoracic collar contrastingly paler ochre (conconcolourous with dorsal thoracic vestiture in Andesobia ); thoracic vestiture dense and pilose (sparse and shaggy in Andesobia );femur and tibia elongate, 4.5-5.6 × longer than wide (very stout, 3.0-3.5 × longer than wide in Andesobia ); metatibia with two pairs of spurs (one pair in Andesobia ); forewing medial line present (absent in Andesobia ); postmedial line usually double (absent in Andesobia ); hindwing discal spot diffuse and elongate (sharp or absent in Andesobia ). The male coremata betwen the 7th and 8th sternite are moderately developed in Patagobia , very reduced in Andesobia .

Description.

Male (female unknown). Head - vestiture dark brown to black, setae long; antenna bipectinate, ciliate ventrally; longest posterior rami 1.5-3.0 × segment length, longest anterior rami 1.1-3.0 × segment length; rami longest over middle third of antenna, decreasing in length toward base and apex; eye elliptical, 1.2-1.5 × as high as wide; labial palp short, not extending beyond vestiture of frons; haustellum reduced and poorly sclerotized, presumably nonfunctional. Thorax - vestiture of vertex and ventrum of thorax black brown; tegulae entirely black brown or black brown edged with yellowish brown; patagia yellowish brown or rarely black brown; leg vestiture brownish ochre, dorsum of femur yellow or red, co-varying with hindwing and abdomen ground colour; apex of prothoracic tibia with two subequal, blunt, triangular projections; mesotibia with two apical and two subapical spurs, length of apical spurs 1.5 × and supapical spurs 0.6 × tibial width at apex; two metatibial spurs, posterior spur slightly longer than anterior; metepisternum lacking microtymbals. Forewings - forewing length 12.9-13.2 mm (mean 13.1 mm; n = 4), length:width ratio averaging 2.1; ground colour pale ochre yellow but with broad, sometimes entirely confluent dark-brown transverse bands (Fig. 4c); pattern elements consisting of dark basal area and sinuous, diffuse dark-brown transverse lines (Fig. 4a) discal spot indistinct dorsally, but well defined ventrally; ventrally with bands obsolete except for marginal band. Hindwing - ground colour pinkish red or rarely yellow (Fig. 4d), with broad dark-brown marginal and costal band; well-defined brown, crescentic discal spot; similar ventrally but with discal spot better defined. Abdomen - Vestiture brownish black and pinkish red or yellow subdorsdally, ventrally with segmental margins yellowish ochre; abdomen entirely dark brown in melanic specimens (Fig. 4c). Coremata between sternites 7-8 in shallow pockets, scent scales approximately 0.5 × as long as sternite length. Genitalia - highly simplified, with large, triangular, dorsoventrally flattened uncus characteristic of subtribe; uncus 1.5 × longer than width of base, broadly joined to wide, band-like tegumen; dorsal margin of tegumen caudally recurved; valve simple and digitate, lacking processes or claspers, 1.5 × as long as uncus-tegumen complex; vinculum semicircular, saccus v-shaped, similar in length to uncus; aedeagus large, 5-6 × longer than wide, 2 × as long as width of genital capsule, curving dorsad slightly; coecum 1/10 length of aedeagus, directed slightly ventrad; vesica extremely large, diameter when inflated 2 × that of genital capsule; vesica directed right-laterad, globose, finely spiculate, with poorly differentiated basal chamber and large apical chamber (Fig. 11b).