Sagarriella Macià, Mally, Ylla, Gastón & Huertas, 2019

Macià, Ramon, Mally, Richard, Ylla, Josep, Gastón, Javier & Huertas, Manuel, 2019, Integrative revision of the Iberian species of Coscinia Hübner, [1819] sensu lato and Spiris Hübner, [1819], (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4615 (3), pp. 401-449 : 420-421

Sagarriella Macià, Mally, Ylla, Gastón & Huertas gen. nov.

Type species: Coscinia romei Sagarra, 1924 . Butlletí de la Institució Catalana d´Història Natural, 2ª Sèrie. 4 (9), 195. ( Fig. 42 )

Several morphological features have been found which show the taxa, hitherto known as C. libyssa and C. romei , form a monophyletic group, which is sister to another monophyletic group that includes the type species C. cribraria . Based on these findings, we propose the new genus Sagarriella Macià, Mally, Ylla, Gastón & Huertas gen. nov. for the taxa romei and libyssa , with Coscinia romei as type species.

Diagnosis. The males of Sagarriella differ from those of Coscinia in the structure and geometry of the valvae. In Sagarriella , these are elongated with parallel edges, and the apex (cucullus) consists of two sharp, closely associated processes, reminiscent of a crab’s claws ( Fig. 40a ). The aedeagus is cylindrical as in Coscinia ( Fig. 40b ), but differs in the coecum penis, which is not globular but rather slightly pointed in Sagarriella ( Fig. 40 b’). Furthermore, in Sagarriella the aedeagus has a dense group of highly sclerotized cornuti in the distal zone ( Fig. 40c ) which is absent in Coscinia ( Fig. 40 c’), being replaced by a dense spot of spinules and a sclerotized plate, except in C. mariarosae which certainly has a few cornuti in the central part, accompanied by the typical sclerotized plaque of Coscinia . In females of Sagarriella , the bursa ( Fig. 40 d’) lacks the characteristic sclerotic belt of Coscinia ( Fig. 40d ), which makes it adopt a bilobal form, and the cervix bursae in Sagarriella ( Fig. 40e ) is much smaller than in Coscinia ( Fig. 40 e’).

Sagarriella males differ from those of Spiris in the absence of the clavus at the base of the valvae, which is characteristic of Spiris ( Fig. 40f ). Furthermore, the uncus is short, wide and apically shovel-shaped ( Fig. 40g ) in Spiris , whereas in Sagarriella it is narrow, slender and apically pointed ( Fig. 40h ). In Spiris , the aedeagus has a bulging central part ( Fig. 40j ) but in Sagarriella it is evenly cylindrical ( Fig. 40i ). In the females, the main difference is in the large, sclerotized lamella antevaginalis present in Spiris ( Fig. 40k ), which is small and more inconspicuous in Sagarriella ( Fig. 40l ).

The males of Sagarriella differ from those of Lerautia in the narrow, elongated uncus ( Fig. 40h ), which is thick and broad in Lerautia ( Fig. 40m ). The valvae of Sagarriella are much more slender, especially distally, as compared to Lerautia , in which there is a process located on the distal costa ( Fig. 40n ). The aedeagus in Lerautia is not cylindrical ( Fig. 40o ) as in Sagarriella , but more funnel-shaped, with a characteristic swelling in the posterior third. In females, Sagarriella differs from Lerautia in the cup-shaped antrum ( Fig. 40q ), which is wide and sclerotized in Lerautia ( Fig. 40p ). The ductus bursae is very broad and membranous in Lerautia ( Fig. 40r ), whereas in Sagarriella it is thin and partially sclerotized ( Fig. 40s ). The cervix bursae of Lerautia is voluminous and partially sclerotized ( Fig. 40t ), unlike Sagarriella in which it is thinner and longer ( Fig. 40e ).

Description. Imago. Small or medium size, head and thorax small, covered with scales, eyes large, palps short, proboscis of male short and functional; antenna of male bipectinate, thin and moderately long; that of female filiform. Foreleg tibia with a short spur. Forewings long, narrow and apically pointed, with a more or less marked golden orange ochre suffusion. Hindwings wide, tip acute, termen slightly concave towards tip; brown ochre in colour, submarginal zone with a fine golden orange tint. Females usually of smaller wingspan, with narrower, apically more pointed wings and paler colour. Male genitalia. Uncus tubular and lanceolate, with pointed tip; valvae rectangular, with a pointed apical cucullus and a subapical triangular process, giving the tip of the valva the appearance of a “crab claw”. Aedeagus cylindrical with a coecum slightly pointed, posterior end with a large number of small thorn-like cornuti. Female genitalia. Great disproportion of the ninth and eighth abdominal segments when compared to the rest of the genital structure, especially the bursa, which is considerably minor; ductus bursae short, strongly esclerotized; bursa membraneous ( Table 1 ).

Derivatio nominis. We dedicate the genus to the eminent entomologist Ignasi de Sagarra, the former curator of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona (MCNB) and author of the type species of the new genus.

Taxa included.

Sagarriella libyssa ( Püngeler, 1907) comb. nov. (not in the studied area)

Sagarriella libyssa caligans ( Turati, 1907) comb. nov.

Sagarriella libyssa liouvillei ( Le Cerf, 1928) comb. nov. (not in the studied area, but analysed)

Sagarriella romei ( Sagarra, 1924) comb. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 40. Diagnosis genus Sagarriella gen. nov.

FIGURES 41–44. 41. Genus Coscinia: Coscinia cribraria, carterpillar; 42. Genus Sagarriella gen. nov.: Sagarriella romei, carterpillar; 43. Genus Spiris: Spiris striata, carterpillar; 44. Genus Lerautia stat. rev.: Lerautia bifasciata, carterpillar.