Cicadoforma, Martinez, 2020

Martinez, Jose I., 2020, Revision of the South American genus Gaujonia Dognin (Noctuidae, Pantheinae) with descriptions of five new genera and twenty-one new species, ZooKeys 985, pp. 71-126 : 71

Cicadoforma gen. nov.

Gender.

Feminine.

Type species.

Gaujonia vau-nigrum Hampson, 1913. Catalogue of Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum 13: 385, 387, pl. 235, fig. 3.

Etymology.

Cicadoforma refers to how people in South America confuse this group with cicadas.

Included species.

The genus Cicadoforma is established to accommodate C. vau-nigrum , which was previously included in Gaujonia because of wing pattern similarities; a new species is described in Cicadoforma : C. ocelotus sp. nov. However, there are remarkable differences in morphology and molecular characters, as shown here.

Diagnosis.

Cicadoforma is similar to Cicadomorphus , not only externally, but internally as well; however, the phylogenetic analysis results showed enough evidence to separate Cicadoforma in a different genus from Cicadomorphus (Fig. 1 ). Nevertheless, both genera can be distinguished morphologically by the forewing, which is hyaline with scales only on margins and veins in Cicadoforma , whereas in Cicadomorphus has scales are more widely distributed on the forewing. Genitalia have some small indentations on outer margin of valva that are not present in Cicadomorphus ; apex and lobe on valva is much wider in Cicadoforma ; upper side of vesica with one patch of spines, and a narrow band of spines near the base are present in Cicadoforma . Female genitalia with square-shaped anal papillae in Cicadoforma ; more rounded in Cicadomorphus . DNA barcodes show a closer relationship with Cicadomorphus (~ 5% divergent than with Gaujonia (~ 6%).

Description.

Sexually dimorphic mainly in size, female slightly larger than male; forewing in male with some hyaline areas and with poorly developed pattern, whereas female forewing semi-hyaline with pattern better defined. Antenna filiform, black, or dark brown in both sexes; antenna with yellow basal line of scales; eye large, covered by long interfacetal setae; palp with black upper side and yellow underside; haustellum dark brown and reduced, but functional. Forewing with orbicular reniform spots small. Hindwing semi-hyaline with scales only on margin and veins. Male genitalia with simple, lightly-sclerotized valva; valva wide apically with some small indentations on outer margin; clasper absent, cucullus wide, with a broad lobe extended in front of sacculus, ear-like in shape; sacculus with a small foot-like process; uncus crooked, long and wide; aedeagus short, with a simple long vesica with a broad patch of spines on upper side and a narrow band of spines at base. Female genitalia with a large square-shaped and lightly sclerotized sterigma, and a rugose, sclerotized appendix bursae; corpus bursae unsclerotized.

Immature stages.

Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Maximum likelihood tree showing relationships between the Gaujonia genus group and the rest of the other jaguar moth genera based on the cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI) marker. Nodes with black circles represent high support (UFBoot ≥ 95 and SH-aLRT ≥ 80). Nodes with gray circles represent low support (UFBoot <95 and SH-aLRT <80). Black branches constitute the outgroups.