Robinsonia drechseli Laguerre, 2021

Laguerre, Michel, 2021, Partial revision of the genus Robinsonia Grote 1866: description of five new species for the Neotropical fauna (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Phaegopterina), Zootaxa 4990 (1), pp. 65-80 : 72-74

Description of Robinsonia drechseli Laguerre , sp. nov.

(BIN = BOLD:AAQ3214) Fig. 11 .

Holotype. ♂, PARAGUAY, Cordillera, Salto Pirareta , 15–17-VI- 2010, 170 m, 25°29’ S – 56°56’ W, U. Drechsel leg.— Sample ID MILA 1694 (yellow printed label)—BOLD Process ID ARCTD569-12. Will be deposited in MNHN.

Paratypes. 9 ♂ 32 ♀. 2 ♂, PARAGUAY, Paraguari, Sapucay , 14-VII-1902 & XI-1904, W. Foster leg., the second is dissected, slide reference AW2546, both in NHMUK . 2 ♂, PARAGUAY, Alto Parana, Estancia Dimas , 6–7-V- 2011, 200 m, 25°33’ S – 55°13’ W, U. Drechsel leg., one is dissected Gen. ML 3207 (light-blue manuscript label) . 1 ♀, same data but 11–16-XI-2011 . 1 ♀, PARAGUAY, Caazapa, Colonia Neufeld , 24-X- 2008, 150 m, 26°28’ S – 55°55’ W, U. Drechsel leg. Gen. ML3206 (light-blue manuscript label). Sample ID MILA 1395 (yellow printed label)—BOLD Process ID ARCTC933-11 . 2 ♂, PARAGUAY, Caazapa, Tavaï, Est Olmedo , 26-IX- 2008, 160 m, 26°13’ S – 55°36’ W, U. Drechsel leg. One with Gen. ML 2126 (white manuscript label) and Sample ID MILA 1396 (yellow printed label)—BOLD Process ID ARCTC934-11 . 2 ♂, PARAGUAY, Amambay, Laguna Ciervo , 24–27- VI- 2016, 320 m, 22°20’ S – 56°11’ W, U. Drechsel leg. All in MLC . 1 ♂ 1 ♀, PARAGUAY, Sapucay , XI-1904 & 14-VII-1902, W. Foster leg., the male has been dissected, slide reference 2546. All in NHMUK .

Holotype male description ( Fig. 11A–B ). Head and thorax. Antennae bipectinate, shaft and rami light greyish, pure white at base, scape pure white. Frons and vertex pure white. Patagia, tegulae and thorax, white. Palpi pure white underside, dark greyish upper side, third segment very short.

Legs. Anterior coxae white. First pair of legs white above and dark brownish grey below. Second and third pairs dirty white.

Forewing. Wings rounded entirely silky white. The costa up to the apex is narrowly highlighted with light grey, the part between costa and cell creamy yellow. The grey line can be absent. Below similar to upper side but the costa very narrowly grey at base then widening slightly toward apex, bordered internally by dirty white until the cell.

Hindwing. Triangular, entirely silky white. Underside identical to upper side.

No androconial structures on both wings.

Abdomen. Light creamy yellow, underside dirty creamy yellow.

Forewing length: 14–15 mm (n = 6).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 12A–E ). Coremata absent. Uncus cylindrical, widened in middle with a largely bifid and pointed extremity and a slight dorsal median carina. Tegumen rectangular near the junction to uncus. Valvae reaching the middle of uncus, the base almost square with a narrow and elongated dorsal expansion with a blunt extremity. Just below this expansion and half its length, a rounded translucent lobe covered with long hairs. Juxta ovoid. Saccus as a pointed triangle, slightly constricted in the middle. Aedeagus short and cylindrical, caecum penis bulbous. Vesica smooth with a single lobe perpendicular to the main axis of the aedeagus, almost symetrical on each side, with a slightly scobinated area in the middle.

Female ( Fig. 11C–D ). Similar to male with the following differences: antennae ciliate, wings entirely white and more rounded.

Forewing length: 14–16 mm (n = 3).

Female genitalia ( Fig. 13A–C ). Papilles anales convex in middle. Apophyses anteriores slightly shorter than the posteriores. Pheromone glands straight and tubular, prominent. Antrum very slightly sclerotized. Ductus bursae as a flat ribbon, short and strongly curved. Bursa copulatrix small and pyriform, with circular wrinkles and two signa shaped as a fold in the center of a circular spiculate area. An accessory hemispherical wrinkled bursa, slightly smaller than the main bursa. The two bursae joined by a slightly scobinated tubular connection.

Early stages. Unknown.

Etymology. Named in honor of its collector Ulf Drechsel for his large contribution to the Paraguay fauna knowledge.

Distribution. Presently only known from Paraguay essentially in the Alto Parana, Caazapa, Cordillera and Amambay departments, i.e., in the East of the country.

During a visit to the MWM in München, we found a strange, large Robinsonia specimen close to Robinsonia mera ( Schaus, 1910) from Costa Rica but collected in Peru near Pozuzo (Pasco Province). The sequence of this specimen confirmed the vicinity of the two species but the distance of 7.06 % implies that we had in hand a new species. After a close examination of the de Toulgoët’s Collection housed in MNHN we found five additional specimens, including the only known female and we describe this species below under the name Robinsonia inexpectata Laguerre sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Robinsonia drechseli Laguerrre sp. nov., A–B: male holotype, A dorsal view, B ventral view; C–D: female paratype, C dorsal view, D ventral view. Labels not to scale. Scale = 10 mm.

FIGURE 12. A–E: male genitalia of Robinsonia drechseli Laguerre sp. nov., A ventral view, B dorsal view, C lateral view, D valva view from inside, E aedeagus with everted vesica

FIGURE 13. A–C: female genitalia of Robinsonia drechseli Laguerre sp. nov., A ventral view, B dorsal view, C detail of the antrum, ductus bursae and papillae anales.