Ernassa tarisca, Grados, 2024

Grados, Juan, 2024, Beyond appearances: the genus Ernassa Walker, 1856 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Phaegopterina) and the description of eight new species, Zootaxa 5493 (4), pp. 301-327 : 313-315

Ernassa tarisca sp. nov.

( Figs. 35–40 )

Diagnosis: Similar to E. persivalei sp. nov., differing by the not very elongate white spot in M 2 -M 3 of the forewings and the wide dorsal process of the valva, curved and dilated at the distal end.

Type material: HOLOTYPE male ( Figs. 35–36 ). PERÚ. LORETO. 1 male, Coconilla , 02°42’s, 75°06’W, 160 m, 23.vii.2003, J. J. Ramírez (GENITALIA # JGA-1241 , MUSM). 5 PARATYPES. AMAZONAS. 1 male, Cordillera del Cóndor. P. V. 12 de Enero (P. V. 32), 03°39’30”S, 78°18’52”W, 700 m, 23.xi.2003, J. Grados & A. Asenjo (GENITALIA # JGA-1262 , MUSM) . LORETO. 1 male, Río Curaray, Campamento Paiche 1, 01°29’25”S, 75°23’53”W, 200 m, 03.xi.2007, J. J. Ramírez (GENITALIA # JGA-1245 , MUSM) ; 1 male, 3 km NO de Palizada (Río Ucayali), 05°39’04”S, 74°15’28”W, 115 m, 29–31.v.2014, J. Peralta (GENITALIA # JGA-1250 , MUSM) ; 1 male, 7 km SO de Flor de Punga (Río Ucayali), 05°27’20”S,74°12’08”, 127 m, 25–27.v.2014, J. Peralta (GENITALIA # JGA-1251 , MUSM) . UCAYALI. 1 male, Puerto Purin , 8°44’59.2”S, 74°08’19.52”W, 122 m, 17.vii.2008, M. Alvarado (GENITALIA # JGA-1244 , MUSM) . All deposited in the MUSM .

Male. Forewing extension (19–21 mm) (n=6). Head. Reddish-orange. scape reddish, flagellum brown with a white spot on the last segments. Thorax. Orange. Legs reddish. Forewing. Elongate. Dorsal. Reddish-orange. Half of the anterior margin brown. Posterior margin with few leaden scales. Termen brown. Veins partly covered with brown scales. A rhomboid orange spot, delimited by an antemedial and a medial band, both formed by reddish and leaden scales. The medial band projects to the junction of M 3 and Cu 1. Two well defined spots in the discal cell. A subproximal ovoid white spot at M 2 -M 3. With Scattered patches of orange, reddish, and leaden scales towards the outer margin area. Ventral. Orange red, slightly lighter from Cu 2. Almost all of the anterior margin brown. Termen brown. Hindwing. Reddish, elongate, rhomboid with rounded angles. Dorsal. Reddish, lighter towards the central part. Ventral. Reddish, with the same traits as the dorsal side. Abdomen. Reddish. Male genitalia ( Figs. 37–40 ) (Genitalia # JGA 1241,1244, 1245, 1250, 1251). Tegumen narrow sided, its anterior margin shaped as an inverted “U”. Uncus base as wide as the distal part of the tegumen; near its base, two curved “˩”-shaped, sclerotized lateral processes, with abundant long and thick bristles at the base; distal part short, pointed and hook shaped at its end, a concave notch on its ventral part. Valva. Lateral view: wide at the base, quadrangular, with a concave notch at the base of the ventral margin; ventral process membranous with setae; dorsal process sclerotized, wide, elongate, curved at the dorsal margin; ventral margin concave with a pronounced subdistal notch, distal end slightly wider. Ventral view: subproximal concave margins; diverging obliquely towards the dorsal process at the distal half; dorsal processes curved towards the mesal margin with wider ends. Juxta sclerotized, wide, pentagonal: with membranous areas, anterior side, small and digitiform; posterior side, a large round concavity. Transtilla sclerotized, wide, elongate, pointed at the dorsal posterior part. Aedeagus elongate and sinusoidal; coecum penis elongate; vesica short, membranous, with an elongate dorsal process and a digitiform ventral process; with minute spicules at the dorsal area.

Female. Unknown

Etymology. tarisca is a Quechua adjective, used as a feminine adjective in the nominative singular, which means “the discovered one”.

Distribution. In the Amazon forests of the departments of Loreto, Amazonas and Ucayali.

Figures

FIGURES 35–36. Ernassa tarisca sp. nov. Holotype. 35. Dorsal view. 36. Ventral view. Scales=5 mm.

FIGURES 37–40. Genitalia of Ernassa tarisca sp. nov. Male (Genitalia # JGA-1241, MUSM). 37. Dorsal view. 38. Ventral view. 39. Lateral view. 40. Aedeagus. Scales= 1 mm.