Auroriana gemma St Laurent & C. Mielke

St. Laurent, Ryan A. & Mielke, Carlos G. C., 2016, Three new genera of Neotropical Mimallonidae (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with descriptions of three new species, ZooKeys 566, pp. 117-143 : 130-132

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Mimallonidae

Auroriana gemma St Laurent & C. Mielke sp. n. Figs 12, 16, 19

Type material.

Holotype, ♂: BRAZIL - SC [Santa Catarina], São Bento do Sul, Rio Natal, 550 m. XI.2013. A. Rank leg/ 27.473 Col. C. Mielke / C. Mielke diss.: 27.473/ DZ 32.729/ HOLOTYPE male Auroriana gemma St Laurent and C. Mielke, 2016 [handwritten red label]/ (DZUP). Type locality: Brazil: Santa Catarina: São Bento do Sul, Rio Natal.

Paratype, 1 ♂: BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: Neu Bremen [ Dalbérgia]: III.1938, B. Pohl (MZSP). Paratype with the following yellow label: PARATYPE male Auroriana gemma St Laurent and C. Mielke, 2016.

Diagnosis.

Auroriana gemma can be easily distinguished from its two congeners by the reduction of the pinkish suffusion postmedially and by the lighter medial and darker postmedial regions. Additionally, the forewing postmedial line is outwardly lined with a thicker pale-pink band than in other species in the genus. The hindwing postmedial line in Auroriana gemma is diffuse rather than thin and dark as in the other two species. The male genitalia also readily differentiate this species from the others. In Auroriana gemma the tegumen is broader, gnathos processes shorter, somewhat wrinkled, and without a sharp tooth proximally. Additionally, the valves bear a unique, distinct, triangular mesal tooth and lack differentiated setae at the base of the valves. Finally, the phallus of Auroriana gemma is much shorter than in either of the other Auroriana species.

Description.

Male.Head: Light pink, eyes bordered posteriorly by dark scales; antenna opaque yellow. Thorax: Light tan brown, interspersed with pink scales, especially near wing base, prothorax pink. Legs: Light pink, but tarsus light brown. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 16 mm, avg. 16 mm, Wingspan: 30 mm, n = 2. Short, triangular, inward notch at tornus reduced, margin convex mesally. Ground color amber, orange brown, overall lightly speckled by dark petiolate scales. Antemedial line very faint pink. Postmedial line slightly curved, gray, outward edge lined with very pale pink, postmedial line angled sharply towards costa immediately after passing Rs4, becoming diffuse pink suffusion. Antemedial area pink. Medial area lighter orange with pink suffusion. Postmedial area darker brown with pale pink-gray suffusion near wing margin; medial area lighter orange with pink suffusion; antemedial area pink. Discal spot a small dark-gray line across width of discal cell. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but with more speckling; ante- and postmedial lines absent; deeper orange overall with more expansive, defined pink suffusion postmedially. Hindwing dorsum: Coloration as for forewing dorsum, but less pink; postmedial line only as pale pink suffusion. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum but more pink overall, orange coloration restricted to marginal region. Abdomen: As for genus, coloration as for thorax but more golden beige dorsally, pinker ventrally. Genitalia: (Fig. 16) n = 2. Tegumen broad, subtriangular. Vinculum irregular with paired, anterior process, rounded lobes present mesally below gnathos. Uncus short, tubular, hardly differentiated from tegumen. Gnathos as two unfused, heavily sclerotized, wrinkled, somewhat triangular processes. Triangular valves small relative to tegumen, simple, with sharp triangular mesal tooth. Juxta fused to phallus, with acute, pointed process. Phallus very short, simple, downturned, pointed with thin, sclerotized accessory extension terminally. Vesica short, bag-like, bulbous ejaculatoris twice length of phallus, bag-like. Female. Unknown.

Distribution

(Fig. 19). Auroriana gemma is known from only two specimens: one at the type locality at 550 m in northeastern Santa Catarina state, Brazil, and the other from about 80 km farther south in the same state.

Etymology.

This species is named for the amber (gemma Latin) ground color. The name is doubly appropriate because gemma also translates to gem, which refers to the beauty and rarity of this species.

Remarks.

This new species is known from only two specimens, both of which surprisingly come from very well collected regions of southeastern Brazil (R. A. St. Laurent & C. G. Mielke pers. obs.). Given that one specimen was collected in March and the other in November, we cannot consider a short flight period as the reason for the apparent rarity of this species, as we mentioned for Auroriana florianensis . All Auroriana species are known from very few specimens, suggesting that Auroriana in general is not an easily collected genus or one that is merely overlooked by lepidopterists, as is much of the family.