Pollanisus nocturna, Mollet & Tarmann, 2023

Mollet, Bernard & Tarmann, Gerhard M., 2023, Revision of the genus Pollanisus Walker, 1854 (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae: Procridinae), Zootaxa 5281 (1), pp. 1-72 : 50-54

Pollanisus nocturna sp. n.

Material examined ( Table 12). Holotype. ♁ (943) ( Figs 173, 176 ), Queensland. Road Paluma-Hidden Valley, Mt Zero Taravale , 19°00′40.5″S, 146°03′58.5″E, 817 m, 28.IV.2013, at night, B. Mollet & G. M. Tarmann leg., ( BMC).

Paratypes. 6 ♁, same data as holotype; Queensland. 1 ♁, Brisbane, North Stradbroke Island, s/e Amity Beehive Road, N, 27°25′58′′S, 153°27′46′′E, 37 m, 14.I.2006, a. L., E. Friedrich leg. ( TLMF). New South Wales. 1 ♁ (934) ( Figs 174, 177 ), 50 km SE of Goulburn, Nerriga , 6.XII.2008, lux., A. Kallies & E. D. Edwards leg. ( BMC) .

Paratypes examined, head ratios not included in Table 12. Queensland. 7 ♁, Road Paluma-Hidden Valley, Mt Zero Taravale, 19°00′40.5″S, 146°03′58.5″E, 817 m, 28.IV.2013, at night, B. Mollet & G. M. Tarmann leg., ( TLMF), 2 ♁, Qld, Road Paluma-Hidden Valley , 4 km E, (19°00′09.9″S, 146°04′05.9 E, 795 m, 27.IV.2013, at night, Mollet & G. M. Tarmann leg., ( TLMF)

Discussion and differential diagnosis. The strong difference in head ratios with Pollanisus viridipulverulenta and P. apicalis justifies the description of these specimens as a new species.

Although the specimen collected in NSW, Goulburn area, shows a slightly different compound eye feature with compound eye slightly smaller and more globular, its head ratios are very similar to that of the holotype and paratype collected in the Northern and Southern parts of Queensland, and moreover, it was collected at night. New data from this population, localized very far from the P. nocturna sp. n. type locality, are necessary to confirm conspecifity. Therefore this specimen is here only provisionally included in the paratype series.

Description

Female unknown

Male holotype. Length of body: 6.9 mm; length of forewing: 8.9 mm; breadth: 3.9 mm; length of hindwing: 6.6 mm; breadth: 3.8 mm; length of antenna: 6.5 mm; distance between compound eyes in frontal view, 0.98 x the breadth of compound eye and 0.65x the height; compound eye black almost circular in lateral view; ocellus slightly ovoid; chaetosemata of triangular shape with a long and very narrow extension occupying all the space between compound eye and ocellus. Antenna. Brown with satin sheen, segments 1 to 31 bipectinate, 32 to 44 biserrate, pectinations of maximum length at segment 12, about 4.8x longer than breadth of shaft in dorsal view. Body. Frons brown, vertex with blue metallic sheen, edging of blue metallic scales bordering the compound eyes; proboscis dark brown, porrect labial palps brown with blue metallic scales; patagia and tegulae covered with bluish green metallic sheen; thorax with strong bluish green metallic sheen dorsally and ventrally; abdomen brown with bluish green metallic sheen dorsally and ventrally except segments 1-2 which are brown without metallic sheen ventrally. Forewing. Upperside brown, with satin sheen, underside light brown with some bluish green metallic scales below costa. Hindwing. Brown,opaque, with narrow slightly translucent area medially, underside with strong shiny blue scales anteriad of medial stem and at anal angle. Legs and coxae. Brown, with strong green metallic sheen on coxa and femur.

Genitalia (948) ( Fig. 40 ). Valva with pointed apex, distally straight dorsally, ventral margin straight. Phallus nearly x3.5 longer than broad, cylindrical, slightly upcurved, cornutus as long as phallus.

Phenology and bionomics. The first observation of this species in nature was a total surprise. On the evening of 27.iv.2013 BM & GMT drove from the tropical village Paluma, the centre of the Paluma Range National Park, westwards on the road that descends towards Hidden Valley which is already situated in the northern part of the Coane Range that runs parallel to the tropical Paluma Range and is, contrary to the Paluma Range, covered with a sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest, mixed with Casuarina trees ( Fig. 180 ). Four kilometres to the East of the Hidden Valley camping site a small gravel road branched off to the left heading SSW into the Coane Range. After ca 400 metres we found a nice place for a camp, where we also could put up our lights for night collecting. The forest was still damaged from a former bushfire that must have taken place some months before. However, the vegetation had recovered nicely after the rainy season, that had ended some weeks ago. The locality is situated at an elevation of 795 metres with GPS: S 19°00’09.9″, E 146°04’05.9″. The weather was nice with a cloudless sky, a slight easterly wind and an evening temperature at 18.30 of 23°C. We built up our light tower (15 W UV blacklight) ( Fig. 181 ) and started the observations at 18.30, shortly after sunset but already in twilight before getting dark. Already at 18.40 a male of a Pollanisus was observed inside the translucent wall of the light tower running up and down. This was strange, because the mast of the tower was fixed on the ground and there was only a small slit where a specimen could have the chance to come inside. We collected this specimen and much to our surprise it was a male of ‘ P. apicalis’, as we thought. Shortly after this (ca. 18.50) we saw a second male coming on the ground heading for the centre of the light tower by running on the floor into the inner side of the net, and shortly later, at 19.00 a third male did the same. It was already fully dark by that time. However this was a full moon night and the darkness was not complete.

The occurrence of Pollanisus apicalis in northern Queensland (around Herberton and Ravenshoe) and from Paluma was not new, as I. F. B. Common had taken a male on 27.VIII.1985 around Paluma, that is deposited in the ANIC in Canberra ( Tarmann 2004). However, a night active habit has not been known from the more southern populations and was new to us.

On the next evening (28.IV.2013) we came back to the same place but drove further into the forest and found an even better locality with more diverse vegetation at a point that is called Mount Zero crossing, at an elevation of 817 metres, GPS: S 19°00’40.5″, N 146°03’58.5″. We used the same light equipment as the day before, but also an 8 W UV blacklight tube in a small cage that we placed high up on a tree. Exactly at 18.45 the first male of Pollanisus apicalis came quickly running on the floor in small jumps to the light and tried to slip under the mast of the light tower that we had fixed with stones to the floor. Only minutes later more males came running towards the light and three of them managed to come into the inner surface of the tower, in spite of our attempts to prevent this by fixing the mast to the ground. None of them weres observed flying. The males inside the tower ran vertically up and down the light tube. Until 19.05 we had observed 14 males all with the same habit. Then the attraction of the light seemed to stop suddenly and no more specimens came. We tried to find this species next day in daylight. However, not a single specimen was observed.

The time of activity of this population,shortly after darkness, must be really very short. We observed the specimens for only 20 minutes! Maybe that this is also the time when the females call for males.

Of course we also looked for a potential larval host-plant for this population. We found a small Hibbertia sp. with narrow leaves (like Rosmarinus genus) and H. lepidota R. Br. Ex DC. and also small and somehow ‘spiny’ bush that likes granite ground, which is everywhere here.

Etymology. From the Latin nocturna , by reference to the exclusive nocturnal activity.

Distribution ( Fig. 182 )

Figures

FIGURE 182. Pollanisus viridipulverulenta. P. modestus. P. apicalis. P. nocturna sp. n.. Hibbertia obtusifolia. H. stricta. H. sericea. H. virgata (Dilleniaceae).

FIGURES 172–179. Pollanisus species, upperside and frontal view. P. apicalis. 172, 175. Big Desert. P. nocturna sp. n.. 173, 176. Holotype, Paluma N. P.; 174, 177. Paratype, Goulburn, Nerriga. P. viridipulverulenta. 178, 179. Big Desert. Upperside. P. modestus. 178a. Holotype, Clyde Mt., NSW. (scale bars: 1 mm).

FIGURES 34–40. Male genitalia of holotypes. 34. Pollanisus jumbun sp. n. (993). 35. Pollanisus yugambeh sp. n. (772). 36. Pollanisus horakae sp. n. (1412). 37. Pollanisus worimi sp. n. (978). 38. Pollanisus kalliesi sp. n. (836). 39. Pollanisus jirrbal sp. n. (818). 40. Pollanisus nocturna sp. n. (948). (scale bar: 1 mm)

FIGURES 180–181. Habitats where Pollanisus nocturna sp. n. was collected. 180. At Hidden Valley. 181. At Mount Zero.