Myrinia aragua Grishin, 2023

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Supplementary Materials and Appendix, Insecta Mundi 2023 (26), pp. 1-115 : 28-29

Myrinia aragua Grishin , new species

https://zoobank.org/ 055C6BE9-3405-428D-9BD1-B20AFA4C3F5D

( Fig. 2 part, 63–64, 277–278)

Definition and diagnosis. Inspection of the Z chromosome tree reveals that a specimen from Venezuela identified as Myrinia laddeyi (E. Bell, 1942) (type locality in Ecuador) is not monophyletic with it and instead is sister to Myrinia binoculus (Möschler, 1877) (type locality in Suriname) ( Fig. 2a), thus representing a new species. Curiously, the mitochondrial DNA of this new species is much closer to M. laddeyi than to any other species ( Fig. 2b): COI barcode of the holotype of M. laddeyi differs from the new species by 1% (7 bp), suggesting either introgression or hybrid origin of this species. The new species keys to Myrinia binoculus (E.24.1) in Evans (1953), which includes M. laddeyi that Evans misidentified and Myrinia raymundo H. Freeman, 1979 (type locality in Mexico, Tabasco) described later and differs from them by the following combination of characters: paler, especially on dorsal hindwing, where the marginal pale band is wider; forewing eyespot rounder, not elongated; ventral hindwing without a dark spot at tornus. Due to the cryptic nature of this species, most reliable identification is achieved by DNA and a combination of the following base pairs is diagnostic in the nuclear genome: aly2012.66.4:G225A, aly 1222.4.1:A99G, aly890.3.2:C130T, aly887.6.1:C142T, aly1838.60.9:G111A, aly 2130.12.1:C162C (not A), aly 2130.12.1:A179A (not C), aly 2130.12.1:C183C (not T), aly85.3.11:C106C (not T), aly4645.9.9:C156C (not T), but COI barcode is not different from M. laddeyi .

Barcode sequence of the holotype. Sample NVG-18061H06, GenBank OR837650, 658 base pairs: TACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGAATTTGAGCAGGAATAGTTGGAACATCTTTAAGTTTATTAATCCGTACTGAATTAGGAAATCCAGGATCGTTAATT GGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATACTATTGTTACAGCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCAATTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATT GACTTGTTCCATTAATACTAGGTGCTCCAGATATAGCTTTCCCACGAATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGACTTTTACCTCCATCATTAATACTATTAAT TTCAAGAAGAATTGTAGAAAATGGAGCAGGAACAGGGTGAACTGTTTACCCTCCTTTATCTGCTAATATTGCCCATCAAGGATCTTCTGTAGATTTA GCTATTTTTTCTTTACATTTAGCTGGAATTTCATCAATTTTAGGAGCTATTAATTTTATTACAACAATTATTAATATACGTATTAATAACCTTTCAT TTGATCAAATACCTTTATTTGTATGAGCAGTAGGAATTACAGCTCTATTATTATTATTATCTTTACCTGTTTTAGCAGGAGCAATTACAATACTTTT AACTGATCGAAATTTAAATACATCATTTTTTGATCCTGCAGGAGGAGGAGATCCTATTCTTTATCAACATTTATTT

Type material. Holotype: ♀ deposited in the National Museum of Natural History , Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA ( USNM), illustrated in Fig. 63–64, bears the following four rectangular labels, three white: [VENEZUELA-ARAGUA | Rancho Grande 1100m | 28 May ’85 | S. S. Nicolay], [DNA sample ID: | NVG-18061H06 | c/o Nick V. Grishin], [USNMENT | {QR Code} | 01466907], and one red [HOLOTYPE ♀ | Myrinia | aragua Grishin ].

Type locality. Venezuela: Aragua, Rancho Grande, elevation 1100 m.

Etymology. The name is given for the type locality and is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Currently known only from the holotype collected in Aragua, Venezuela.