Bergiantina hilzingeri (Berg) Blas & Navarro, 2010

Blas, Germán San & Navarro, Fernando, 2010, Bergiantina, a new genus of agaristid moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Zootaxa 2562, pp. 24-44 : 33-35

Bergiantina hilzingeri (Berg) , new combination

( Figs. 9, 10, 23, 24, 38, 41, 44, and 48)

Metagarista hilzingeri Berg, 1882: 176 .

Aucula hilzingeri (Berg) : Hampson, 1910: 421 (new combination); Bourquin, 1958: 260–264 (description of immature stages); Poole, 1989: 142 (catalogue); Pastrana, 2004: 139 (larval food plants).

Aucula hilzingeri var albirubra Köhler, 1936: 73 ; Kiriakoff, 1977 (synonymy) [see Bergiantina schausi ]

Diagnosis. Bergiantina hilzingeri can be differentiated from other Bergiantina species by the following characters: a) forewing ground color opaque reddish orange, densely covered with white scales; b) basal and antemedial lines diffuse; and c) left plate of vesica of aedoeagus with a single lateral tooth strongly sharpened with narrow base.

Redescription. Male ( Figs. 9 and 10). Head: Similar to B. schausi . Thorax: Reddish brown sprinkled with white scales; patagium and tegula similar to B. schausi ; without white spot at base of forewings; meso and metathorax laterally orange yellow. Legs dark brown, with tufts of white hairs on tibiae. Forewing length 18.8–19.5 mm, ground color opaque reddish orange, densely covered with white scales; costal region black; basal line diffuse white; faint red antemedial line, extending from costa to posterior margin, waved, notched sharply above and below discal cell, inner margin with a narrow white strip in all its length; orbicular spot absent, rarely as a small dark area; reniform spots black; postmedial line red, straight from costa to R2, convex from R2 to CuA1, notched on M1 and interpace M3-CuA1, deeply concave on posterior third, outer margin with a continuous white strip only interrupted between CuA1-CuA2, sometimes it can be extended to subterminal line by interspaces CuA2-CuA1 and M1-R5, inner margin with a wide white patch between R2 and CuA1, extending to the reniform spot; terminal area with silvery or white tint not extending beyond subterminal line; subterminal line red, strongly crenulate, posterior end with an inner greyish red spot diffuse to the termen; terminal line thin and black; fringe black with white spots at the ends of the veins. Underside ground color dark brown, basal shade orange yellow vanished in antemedial space and another concolorous shade in postmedial space from R1 to CuA2 vein, sometimes it can be united with the basal shade along inner margin; white spot in anterior end of postmedial shade; terminal area with white spots at ends of the veins; terminal line black; fringe with the same pattern that in the superior face. Hindwing ground color orange yellow; marginal band blackish brown, widest near apex, extending along costa to base, being connected with the discal spot and with irregular inner margin, oblique from costa to M3 vein; discal spot faint; fringe black interrupted by small white spots. Underside similar to superior face. Abdomen: Similar to B. schausi but without ventral scattered white scales. Genitalia: Uncus 1/4 as long as valve, curved, basal third without lateral lobes, apex rounded. Tegumen with posterior-lateral lobes little protrude and slightly curved ventrally. Juxta less than 1/2 length of valves, 3X as long as wide, distal half with one weakly sclerotized oval depression on each side, length more or less half of juxta. Valve costal edge hardly thickened; apical half of valves of different form: right valve with two triangular setae protuberances, dorso-posterior one bigger than the central one and left valve with a dorsal larger projection ( Fig. 23 and 24). Apical end of aedoeagus with a sclerotized horn-like dorsal projection, more or less 1/2 as long as aedoeagus ( Figs. 38 and 41); left plate of aedoeagus longer than the right one, reaching the end, and with one small lateral tooth, strongly sharpened with narrow base, and a greater terminal tooth ( Fig. 44). Female. Length of forewing: 21.5–22.7 mm. Antenna deeply biserrate and vein R3 of forewing forming a common trunk with R4 + R5, by the other characteristics similar to male. Genitalia: As described for genus.

Variation. In some individuals the forewing has a white strip below discal cell, from antemedial line to postmedial line. Forewing underside postmedial shade after vein M2 can be narrowed to 1/3 of its original width; in addition, this can be united with the basal shade along inner margin.

Type material. LECTOTYPE: ♂ (here designated) of Metagarista hilzingeri , [ ARGENTINA]: Buenos Aires, ( MACN) [examined] . PARALECTOTYPE: ♀ (here designated) of Metagarista hilzingeri , [ ARGENTINA]: Buenos Aires, ( MACN) [examined]. Berg (1882) described Metagarista hilzingeri without referring to any type material, only indicating that the species came from “ Buenos Aires.” There is a pair of syntypes (1 male and 1 female) in the MACN. The male is here designated as lectotype and is in good condition. It bears a blue, printed data label reading “ Buenos Aires ”; a yellow label reading “ LECTOTYPE │ designated by │ G. San Blas & F. Navarro ”. The paralectotype female is in poor condition, missing the left forewing, the half of left hindwing and the costal margin of the right hindwing is damaged. It bears a blue, printed data label reading “ Buenos Aires ”; a yellow label reading “ PARALECTOTYPE │ designated by │ G. San Blas & F. Navarro ” .

Immature stages and hosts. The immature stages and biology have been described in detail by Bourquin (1958). Berg (1882) mentioned as larval foodplant Ampelopsis hederacea (at present Parthenocissus quinquefolia , Vitaceae ). Bourquin (1958) stated that the larvae had been reared on Fuchsia sp. (Onagraceae) . Other recorded food plants include Fuchsia hybrida , F. magellanica , Ludwigia grandiflora [= Godetia grandiflora ], Oenothera longiflora and O. mollisima (Onagraceae) ( Pastrana, 2004).

Distribution ( Fig. 48). B. hilzingeri appears to be a scarce species, confined to Paraguay and eastern Argentina, where it occurs in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos and Chaco.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: La Playa 1 ♂ (-) ( USNM) . Chaco: Fontana 1 ♂, 2 ♀ X-1932 (Meyer) ( IMLA) . Entre Ríos: Concepción del Uruguay 1 ♀ (Breyer) ( MLP) . PARAGUAY: Paraguay 1 ♀ (-) ( USNM) .

Discussion. This species is remarkably similar to B. magnifica and B. familiae , but differences in the forewing ground color and male genitalia readily separate the two.