Mirocastnia smalli, J. Y. Miller, 1980

González, Jorge M., Thöny, Hubert & Worthy, Robert, 2024, A review of the genus Mirocastnia J. Y. Miller, 1980 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with records of recently collected specimens, Zootaxa 5418 (3), pp. 240-254 : 251

smalli J.Y. Miller, 1980

“ Mirocastnia smalli , new species ” J. Y. Miller, 1980: Bulletin of the Allyn Museum 60: 11–14, figs. ( Fig. 1 ).

Type material: Described from a male holotype ( Figs. 1A, B ), six male and four female paratypes, all the types are in MGCL ( González, 2023). The type series was collected by Gordon B. Small Jr. ( Miller, 1980).

Type locality: The holotype was collected at Cerro Jefe , a mountain in Panama province, Panama, just south of the Chagres National Park .

Taxonomic status: A subspecies of M. pyrrhopygoides ( Houlbert, 1917) stat. nov. This is the type species of the genus, also listed in this combination by Miller (1995) and Lamas (1995).

Male genitalia: (Fig, 7F, G) Genital capsule with a single uncus, socii are slightly developed. Gnathos bifurcate. Valva elongate along the costal margin. A pronounced recurved cleft is present by the sacculus. Saccus is reduced. Juxta is moderately sclerotised.The aedeagus is slightly curved, barely recurved, moderately sclerotised. It possesses a dorsal sclerotised plate.

Distribution: This subspecies is found in Panama, currently known from Chiriquí, Coclé and Panamá provinces. A specimen was recently reported to us which was found in Guanacaste province in the north-west of Costa Rica ( Fig. 1E, F ), it was collected whilst flying on the top of Volcán Orosí. The specimen was apparently hilltopping and was caught by hand. This is the northernmost known specimen in the genus, the first record for Costa Rica and a major range extension for the species ( Fig. 5 ).

Discussion: The overall appearance of this subspecies is darker and smaller than M. p. pyrrhopygoides . The male is especially dark along the tornus of the hindwing on both surfaces. The two pairs of pale postdiscal spots are also more contrasted in smalli than in pyrrhopygoides . In the female, the blue patch on the hindwing is even more reduced than it is in pyrrhopygoides on both surfaces. In both sexes, the forewing transverse semi-hyaline band seems to be slightly wider than in pyrrhopygoides . However, these features are variable in all subspecies so are merely an average. Much more material of Mirocastnia is known now than was available to Miller when she wrote her 1980 paper, which shows that the features she selected to separate her species do not always hold true in longer series.

The subspecies was named after its discoverer, Gordon Burgess Small, Jr. (1934–1989).

Material examined: 8 males and 5 females were examined for this study: PANAMA: ♁ HT Panamá, Cerro Jefe , ca. 900m., 11.iii.1977, G.B. Small / 111078 6,7, Gordon Small Collection, MGCL/FLMNH Specimen no. 47927, UF FLMNH, MGCL 1138161 ; 1♀ PT Panama, Panama, Cerro Jefe , 900m, 11.iii.1977 G.B. Small, genitalia vial no. M-3802 Jacqueline Y. Miller, Allyn Museum Acc. 1977-14, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138203 ; 1♀ PT Panama, Pma, Cerro Campana, 2500’, 2vii70 Coll. G. B. Small, 111078 8,9, Gordon B. Small Collection, Allyn Museum photo No. 091076-2/3, genitalia vial no. M-3640 Jacqueline Y. Miller, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138199 ; 1♀ PT Panama, Panama, Cerro Jefe , 900m, 13.v.1977 G.B. Small, genitalia vial no. M-3995 Jacqueline Y. Miller, Allyn Museum Acc. 1977-14, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138204 ; 1♀ PT Panama, Panama, Cerro Jefe , 900m, iii-22-1977 G.B. Small, Gordon Small Collection, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138202 ; 1♁ PT Panama, Panama, Cerro Jefe , ca. 900m iii-14-1977, in cop. G.B. Small, Gordon Small Collection, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138208 ; 1♁ PT Panamá, Chiriquí, Cerro Colorado , 1450m. 9.viii.1979 G.B. Small, A.C. Allyn Acc. 1972-49, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138198 ( MGCL); 1♁ PT Panamá, Cerro Jefe , 21.v.1977, G.B. Small, genitalia vial no. M-3803 Jacqueline Y. Miller, Slide no. M-3951 append. Jacqueline Y. Miller, Allyn Museum Acc. 1977-15, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138205 ; 1♁ PT Panamá, Chiriquí, Cerro Colorado , 1450m. 26.vi.1979, G.B. Small, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138206 ; 1♁ PT Panamá, Chiriquí, Cerro Colorado , 1450m. 10.viii.1979, G.B. Small, UF FLMNH MGCL 1138207 ; 1♁ PT Panamá, Chiriquí, Cerro Colorado , 1450m. 10.viii.1979, G.B. Small, DNA voucher LEP-79424, UF FLMNH MGCL 1097963 , UF FLMNH MGCL 1138209 ( MGCL) ; 1♁ Coclé, Cerro Gaital , 850m., IV-2010, Daniel Curoe leg (RW) ; COSTA RICA: 1♀ Pico Volcán Orosí , 1440m, 06/09/2002, Lat. Long Decimal degrees 10.95045 -85.54173, Costa Rica, coll. P. Ríos & C. Moraga, Voucher: D. H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, DB: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu Área de Conservación Guanacaste , Costa Rica, 02-SRNP-12897 ( MNCR).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal and Ventral view of selected Mirocastnia pyrrhopygoides smalli specimens. A, B: ♁ Holotype, Panama (MGCL); C, D: ♀ Paratype, Panama (MGCL); E, F: ♀ Costa Rica (MNCR). Scale: 10 mm.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the different taxa in the genus Mirocastnia in Central and South America.