Biturix nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909) Rothschild, 1909

Beccacece, Hernán Mario & Zapata, Adriana Inés, 2017, Taxonomic changes of some neotropical species of Arctiini Leach (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), Zootaxa 4272 (3), pp. 421-429 : 423-424

Biturix nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909) comb. n.

( Fig. 3 )

Agorea (sic) nigrostriata ( Rothschild, 1909a: 291) was described based on a female holotype from Tucumán, Argentina, currently deposited in NHUK ( Fig. 3 ). Its habitus and morphological traits, such as abdominal coremata as long tubes, sacculus and costa separated, spine-shaped cornuti in vesica and two star-shaped signa in corpus bursae, are more similar to that of the type species of Biturix ( B. diversipes Walker, 1855 , illustrated by Vincent & Laguerre 2014) than to that of the type species of Agaraea ( A. longicornis ) ( Figs. 10–14 ). In fact, the male and female genitalia are very similar to Biturix rectilinea ( Burmeister, 1878) (Beccacece & Navarro 2014) . The distinction between Agaraea and Biturix is not well established. Forbes (1939) proposed a differentiation of these genera based only on the morphology of the proboscis. It is necessary to review both genera for a clear differentiation. The complex uncus and the abdominal coremata in male, the signa and pheromone glands in female presented in Biturix may be important diagnostic characters. However, the habitus of both type-species are quite different, which justifies the existence of both genera as separate taxa, and the new combination here proposed.

Material examined. Argentina, Salta: 1 ♂: El Rey National Park , 22–I–1996, M. Villagrán leg. ( IFML) . Tucumán: 1 ♂: San Miguel de Tucumán, IV-1939, P. Köhler leg. ( IFML) . Chaco: 1 ♂: 26-VII-2008, A. Zarco leg. ( MZUC) . Misiones: 1 ♀: Gobernador Roca, Elena Czajkowski Private Reserve , 13-I-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. ( MZUC) . 1 ♂: idem locality, 24-VII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 03-VIII-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 23-IX-2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). 1 ♂: idem locality, 29-IX- 2016, E. Krauczuk leg. (MZUC). La Rioja: 1 ♂ ( MACN) ( Figs. 11–13 ) . Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra: 1 ♂: II-1947, Peredo leg. ( IFML) . Paraguay, Alto Paraguay Department: 1 ♀: Laguna Jacara , 30-VIII / 03-IX-2012, S 21°30' W 57°58', U. Drechsel leg. ( MZUC) ( Figs. 10, 14 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Type specimens of the studied species. 1. Agaraea klagesi (Rothschild, 1909) female lectotype. 2. Agaraea nigrotuberculata Bryk, 1953 male holotype 3. Agaraea nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909) female holotype. 4. Opharus fasciatus Rothschild, 1909 female holotype. 5. Pelochyta pallida Dognin, 1910 male holotype 6. Opharus ochracea Joicey & Talbot, 1918 female lectotype. 7. Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911 male holotype. 8. Melese flavescens Joicey & Talbot, 1918 male holotype. 9. Tessellota pura Breyer, 1957 male holotype. Scale bar: 10 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 27. 10 – 14. Agaraea nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909). 10. Habitus. 11. Male genitalia. 12. Aedeagus. 13. Coremata. 14. Female genitalia. 15 – 17. Halysidota infucata Berg, 1882 15. Habitus. 16. Male genitalia. 17. Aedeagus. 18 – 21. Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911. 18. Habitus. 19. Male genitalia. 20. Aedeagus. 21. Female genitalia. 22 – 24. Tessellota cancellata (Burmeister, 1878). 22. Habitus. 23. Male genitalia. 24. Aedeagus. 25 – 27. Tessellota pura Breyer, 1957. 25. Male paratype. 26. Male genitalia. 27. Aedeagus. Scale bar: 10 mm.