Rhotana panthera Zelazny, 2011

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 91

Rhotana panthera Zelazny , sp. nov.

( Fig. 230)

Description. Forewings 1.8 times longer than wide, length about 5.6 mm. Colour stramineous to light brown. Forewings with four pairs of rounded black marks near hind margin, separated by a broad red band; a semicircular area in front of marks covered with white powder; rest of wing glassy, light yellow-brown, except for hyaline areas across base, between Ms1a and Ms2, between Ms2 and Ms3, in second costal cell, as well as before and after anterior apical cross-veins; a red mark around last subcostal sector; veins stramineous but apices of Cu1, Ms1a, Ms1b, and apical margin red. Hindwings colourless but apical cross-veins between Sc, R, and M lined with faint infuscation. Facial carinae contiguous up to lower level of eyes; subantennal processes and lateral carinae of pronotum well developed; rostrum reaching hind coxae. Forewings with costal margin and apical section of Sc nearly straight; Sc+R fork slightly before middle of wing; Ms1 branched at basal quarter, both branches nearly parallel; apical section of Ms1b connected to Cu1 by a crossvein, a triangle at base of Ms1. Male genitalia with pygofer narrow. Apical part of aedeagus spatulate, partly covered on the right side by a flat rounded lobe, which does not reach the apex.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin noun ( panthera = a leopard) used in apposition.

Type material. Holotype ♂ (forewing 5.6 mm), PAPUA NEW GUINEA; labels: 1) Neth. Ind.-American/ New Guinea Exped./ Araucaria Camp 800m / 20 iii. 1939, L.J. Toxopena ( RMNH) . Paratype. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: NE, Finistere Range , Saidor: Matoko, 29.VIII – 5.IX.1958, 1 ♂ (fw. 5.6), W.W. Brandt ( BPBM) .

Distribution. New Guinea.

Diagnosis. Rhotana panthera resembles R. pavo (Bierman) from Sumatra and Borneo, as well as R. globosa sp. nov. and R. novahiberniensis sp. nov., both also from New Guinea. It can be easily distinguished from these by the contiguous facial carinae.