Zaphanta machaera, St Laurent & Giusti, 2019

St Laurent, Ryan A. & Giusti, Alessandro, 2019, Revision of Zaphanta Dyarı 1910 (Lepidoptera: Mimallonidae: Zaphantinae) ı with descriptions of nine new species, Journal of Natural History 53 (19), pp. 1209-1246 : 1233-1234

Zaphanta machaera sp. nov.

( Figures 16 , 17, 33, 42) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:89132977-91DC-4424-9C0E-98A954E467CA

Diagnosis

The colouration of this Zaphanta species is very much like that of the previous, Z. stiletto , which is likely the closest relative among known Zaphanta based on male genital morphology. Unlike Z. stiletto , however, Z. machaera has particularly angular wings, with very straight margins and a well-defined mesal angle at CuA1. The unique male specimens of Z. stiletto and Z. machaera are both in rather poor condition but display paler yellow colouration than most other congeners. The two can be separated by the darker pinkish-brown suffusion submarginally on all wings, but particularly on the hind wings, in Z. machaera . As in the case of Z. stiletto , Z. machaera can be distinguished from all other known Zaphanta by the elongate, sharp, singular subuncus projection. In Z. machaera this projection is twice as long and thick as it is in Z. stiletto . The tegumen, valvae and phallus of Z. machaera are all thicker and more robust than in Z. stiletto .

Description

Male. Head: As for genus. Thorax: As for genus, but most scales lost in holotype. Legs: As for genus, but most scales lost in holotype. Fore wing dorsum: Fore wing length: 11 mm, wingspan: 20 mm, n = 1. As for genus, but margin straighter and angled at CuA1. Fore wing ventrum: As for genus. Hind wing dorsum: As for genus, but margin particularly angled, pinkish-brown colouration uniform along margin. Hind wing ventrum: As for genus; antemedial line particularly straight. Abdomen: As for genus, but many scales missing in holotype. Genitalia: ( Figure 33 ) n = 1. Vinculum nearly circular. Tegumen broad, quadrate, nearly fully sclerotised ventrally except for subtriangular mesal hole below gnathos. Uncus triangular, very sharp and narrowed distally, weakly hooked. Subuncus projection forming a closed ring with lateral margins of tegumen, mesally more heavily sclerotised and extended as a sharp, singular, sword-like spine which curves upward towards the uncus, spine equal in length to uncus; uncus-tegumen complex narrower than vinculum but shorter in length and narrowed at extremes, widest in middle. Transtilla as inverted U-shape fused to base of tegumen. Valvae somewhat trapezoidal, upwardly angled, distally narrower than basally. Costal base of valvae (valva apodeme) largely unmodified, but projected outward slightly proximal to tegumen. Caecum of phallus shorter than distal half of phallus, caecum phallus rounded. Phallus with ventral extension distally; phallus mostly smooth laterally except for minute spines ventrally. (Note: phallus broken mesally.)

Female. (Note: description based on single putative specimen from type locality, but collected in a different month and year, so of unverified conspecificity.) Head: As for male, but colouration darker orange-brown. Thorax: Vestiture pale pinkish brown, lighter orange brown on prothorax. Legs: As for genus. Fore wing dorsum: Fore wing length: 19 mm, wingspan: 26 mm, n = 1. As for male but wings slightly broader, marginal area darker and more uniformly purple, especially tornus. (Scale coverage on female much better preserved than in male, but otherwise markings exactly the same.) Fore wing ventrum: As for male, but colouration darker orange-brown; antemedial and postmedial lines more well defined. Hind wing dorsum: As for male but submarginal area wider, darker, more uniformly coloured pinkish brown. Hind wing ventrum: As for male, but antemedial line less straight. Abdomen: As for male, not particularly broader. Genitalia: Not examined.

Type material

Holotype ♂. Brazil: Mato Grasso :[circular red label reading:] Holo-typus / BRASIL:MT, Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m, 26 October 1993, V.O. Becker Col. / Col. BECKER 88952 / HOLOTYPE ♂ Zaphanta machaera St Laurent and Giusti, 2019 /Genitalia 5296/( VOB). No paratypes .

Additional putative specimen examined

1 ♀, Brazil: Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m: 20 November 1994, V.O. Becker col., Col Becker 93644 ( VOB) [not included in type series] .

Distribution

This species is known only from the type locality in Mato Grosso, Brazil, at moderate elevation in the Cerrado.

Etymology

Zaphanta machaera is named for a curved sword (Latin machaera ), of which the gnathos shape is reminiscent in this species.

Remarks

As is the case with many of the new species of Zaphanta described in this work, this taxon is known from only one definitively identified specimen. The female, which we putatively assign to Z. machaera , is treated as such based on its collecting locality and the antemedial and postmedial markings which follow nearly the same pattern as that observed in the male. We refrain from including this specimen in the type series due to the fact that the two specimens were collected about 13 months apart, and considering the existence of sympatric Zaphanta species (see Z. anas and Z. elephanticula above), we cannot be certain of their conspecificity at this time. Regardless, we believe it is likely that they are conspecific due to the locality and the fact that the season was the same.

Figures

Figures 15–18. Zaphanta adults; a = dorsal, b = ventral. 15. Z. stiletto Ƌ holotype, Brazil, Rondônia, Calama, Rio Madeira (NHMUK). 16. Z. machaera Ƌ holotype, Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m (VOB). 17. Z. machaera ♀, Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m (VOB). 18. Z. beckeri Ƌ holotype, Brazil, Rondônia, Ariquemes, 180 m (VOB). Scale bar = 1 cm.

Figures 32–34. Zaphanta male genitalia; a = ventral, b = lateral, c = phallus, lateral aspect. 32. Z. stiletto holotype, Brazil, Rondônia, Calama, Rio Madeira, genitalia vial NHMUK 010402345 (NHMUK). 33. Z. machaera holotype, Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m, genitalia slide 5296 (VOB). 34. Z. beckeri holotype, Brazil, Rondônia, Ariquemes, 180 m, St Laurent diss.: 5-16- 18:1 (VOB). Scale bar = 1 mm.