Vanenga mera (Dognin, 1924)

St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Herbin, Daniel, 2017, Revision of the genus Vanenga Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with the description of a new species, ZooKeys 644, pp. 89-104 : 91-93

Vanenga mera (Dognin, 1924) Figs 1-3, 10, 13, 15

Perophora mera Dognin, 1924: 31

Vanenga mera ; Schaus 1928: 664, fig. ♂ 86g [incorrectly labeled as " asea " on plate, while the species Lacosoma asea Schaus, 1928 is labeled as " mera "]

Vanenga mera ; Gaede 1931

Vanenga mera ; Becker 1996

Type material.

Holotype, ♂. BRAZIL: Pará: Obidos, Amazones, Brésil [ Óbidos, Pará]/ Dognin Collection/ Spec fig/ Perophora mera Type ♂, Dognin/ Type No. 29702 U.S.N.M./ USNM-Mimal: 1100/ (USNM). [examined].

Additional specimens examined.

(4 ♂, 1 ♀ total) FRENCH GUIANA: 1 ♂, Route de Mana PK2: 27.VII.2001, M. Laguerre, genitalia prep. D. Herbin ref. H 1118, Bc-Her 2945 (CDH). GUYANA: 1 ♂, Tumatumari: I.1908, S.M. Klages, Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939-1, St Laurent diss.: 7-7-16:2 (NHMUK). 1 ♀, Tumatumari, Rio Potaro, St Laurent diss.: 5-17-16:5 (CUIC). BRAZIL: Amazonas: 1 ♂, São Paulo de Olivença, Rio Solimões: 22.II.1930, H. S. Parish, Cornell U. Lot 672, Sub 386 [abdomen missing, no genitalia preparation] (CUIC). Roraima: 1 ♂, Ilha de Maracá, Alto Alegre: 26. XI– 2.XII.1987, Mielke & Casagrande (DZUP).

Diagnosis.

Vanenga mera can be distinguished from the following species in both sexes. Usually Vanenga mera is smaller, and always bears a distinct discal mark which is often absent in Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. In both sexes, the postmedial line terminates apically in Vanenga mera but is clearly preapical in Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. In males, the forewings are stouter and less sharply angled apically, and the ground color is more tan-orange to fawn, with very little if any pink coloration. Ventrally, the forewing postmedial line is wavier in Vanenga mera . The female is much lighter colored dorsally than the female of Vanenga mediorosea sp. n., with an almost yellow ground color and a pinkish hue submarginally, unlike the brown to orange-brown females of Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. which are usually more grayish brown submarginally. Genitalia are also useful in differentiating these two species. In Vanenga mera the uncus is not indented when viewed laterally and the gnathos consists of flattened, ovoid lobes with a single tooth mesally, rather than the heavily sclerotized, thumb-like projections of Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. Finally, the valves are broader, and the dorsal projections of the phallus-juxta complex are elongated, curved, and only weakly spined, not short, stout, and heavily spined as in Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. The female genitalia can be differentiated from those of Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. by the sclerotized ring of VIII, which is incomplete in Vanenga mera and complete in Vanenga mediorosea sp. n. Furthermore, the apophyses are longer in Vanenga mera , with the apophyses anteriores actually being absent in Vanenga mediorosea sp. n.

Description.

Male.Head: As for genus but darker orange to almost red-orange. Thorax: As for genus but pale pink scales absent. Legs: Coloration as for thorax, but with darker orange scales, especially on tibia and tarsus, similar in coloration to that of head. Tibial spurs short, curved, naked or dorsally clothed in scales. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 11-13 mm, avg.: 12 mm, wingspan: 24-25 mm, avg.: 24.5 mm [26 mm in Dognin (1924)], n = 2. Short, stout, subtriangular, apically rounded, margin nearly straight to slightly convex. Ground color pale tan-orange, overall lightly speckled by dark brown petiolate scales, particularly submarginally. Antemedial line absent or as faint brown wavy mark. Postmedial line nearly straight, apical, brown. Antemedial and medial areas concolorous, pale orange-tan. Submarginal area darker orange-brown compared to medial area, usually orange-brown with pale diffuse gray coloration near apex. Discal spot always present as small dark gray-brown spot. Fringe orange-tan. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but darker, more uniformly orange, becoming gray distally. Discal spot always present, usually larger, darker than on dorsum. Postmedial line preapical, not as straight as on dorsum. Petiolate scales more abundant, widely dispersed. Hindwing dorsum: Rounded, coloration and patterning as for forewing dorsum, antemedial line absent, postmedial line mostly straight, submarginal area broader than on forewing dorsum. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum. Abdomen: As for genus. Genitalia: (Fig. 10) n = 2. As for genus but uncus laterally smoothly curving or nearly straight, not indented mesally. Gnathos as pair of ovoid, flattened lobes with sharp tooth emanating from center of lobe. Valves triangular, somewhat angled distally, relatively broad. Valves with baseo-mesal indentation bearing thick patch of heavy setae; base of valves barely extend past vinculum inward into body cavity as narrow, triangular extension loosely connected to diaphragm and juxta. Juxta fused to phallus, encircling it as oddly shaped saucer with two pairs of elongate, curved, weakly spined projections superior to phallus, one pair longer than the other. Phallus short, cylindrical, not much longer than juxtal extensions. Female.Head: As in male but broader, antennae much smaller overall, pectinations particularly shorter. Thorax: As in male. Legs: As in male, but tibial spurs shorter. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 15 mm, wingspan: 27 mm, n = 1. Similar to male but broader, margin convex mesally, submarginal area broader, apex more acute. Coloration lighter, lemon yellow, more diffuse between antemedial, medial, and submarginal areas, less distinctly bicolored. Submarginal area pinker than medial area. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but generally darker orange. Hindwing dorsum: Coloration and pattern as for forewing dorsum. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum but with more pinkish-gray hue. Abdomen: Concolorous with thorax, ventrally darker, distal tip with small tuft of elongated scales. Genitalia: (Fig. 13) n = 1. Small overall, most characters atrophied, VIII as weakly sclerotized plate, posteriorly curved, laterally VIII more heavily sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores less than half length of apophyses posteriores but robust, terminating in flat tip, apophyses posteriores elongate, curving outward, narrower than apophyses anteriores. Lamellae absent, replaced by broad membranous area. Ductus bursae broad, bag-like. Corpus bursae narrow, elongated, nearly twice length of VIII–IX. Papillae anales flattened ventrally, elongated and narrow.

Distribution

(Fig. 15). This species has an Amazonian distribution, and has so far been collected in Guyana, French Guiana, and the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima.

Remarks.

Until the present work, all Vanenga specimens have been treated as Vanenga mera in the literature and various worldwide collections, but external and genital morphology, as well as biogeography, clearly separates the genus into two well-distinct species, with the name Vanenga mera only being applicable to the rarely collected Amazonian species. In Schaus’s (1928) treatment of Mimallonidae , he considered all populations to be this one species; hence his records for Southeastern Brazil and Paraguay can be attributed to the following new species, now formally described below.