Research Article |
Corresponding author: Ryan St. Laurent ( rstlaurent@flmnh.ufl.edu ) Academic editor: Andrew Mitchell
© 2017 Ryan St. Laurent, Daniel Herbin.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
St Laurent RA, Herbin D (2017) Revision of the genus Vanenga Schaus, 1928 (Lepidoptera, Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with the description of a new species. ZooKeys 644: 89-104. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.644.10705
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Vanenga Schaus, 1928, like many other Mimallonidae genera being revised in recent years, has not been studied since
In completing the present article, numerous “type” specimens have been discovered bearing three different manuscript names associated with the populations of southeastern Brazil and adjacent areas. Despite the fact that these names were written on various labels, the absence of any published descriptions results in them being unavailable (
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Vanenga mera , Vanenga mediorosea sp. n.
Dissections were performed as in
Specimens from the following collections were examined:
ADW Coll. of Andrew D. Warren, Castle Rock, Colorado, USA
CDH Coll. of Daniel Herbin, Garidech, France
CGCM Coll. of Carlos G. C. Mielke, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
MWM Museum Witt, Munich, Germany
The symbol ‡ will be used to represent unavailable names in the text (
Figures were manipulated with Adobe Photoshop CS4 (Adobe 2008). Male genitalia are figured in natural color with CS4 “auto color” used to improve white backgrounds. All geographical coordinates are approximate, and are based on the localities provided on specimen labels. GPS data were acquired with Google Earth.
Perophora mera Dognin, 1924;
The Vanenga species are small, relatively plain mimallonids, but can be recognized by the short triangular forewings, straight, preapical or apical postmedial line, pale tan-orange ground color with varying degrees of pink coloration throughout the antemedial and medial areas, which may strongly contrast against the darker orange-brown submarginal area. The male genitalia define the genus by being rather simple with triangular valves, very long and narrow uncus, heavily sclerotized lobe-like gnathos projections, and a short, thick phallus with accessory spiny dorsal projections emanating from the juxta-phallus complex. These juxtal projections may be either long and narrow or short. The male genitalia are reminiscent of some species of Lacosoma Grote, 1864, as mentioned by
Male.Head: Varying shades of orange, eyes very large, more than two thirds area of head; antenna coloration as for head, bipectinate to tip, though distal fifth of pectinations much reduced in size; labial palpus highly reduced, three segmented, palpus not extending beyond frons. Thorax: Straw colored or with pale pink scales, darker brown-orange scales present on prothoracic collar. Legs: Coloration as for thorax, but usually darker orange with rosy scales, vestiture fine. Tibial spurs short, curved, naked or dorsally clothed in scales. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 10–17 mm, wingspan: 23.0–32.5 mm. Rather short, not elongated, triangular, apically somewhat rounded or more angled. Ground color pale tan-orange, with varying degree of pinkish hue throughout, especially antemedial and medially, overall lightly speckled by dark brown petiolate scales, though may be nearly absent. Antemedial line absent or as faint brown wavy mark. Postmedial line nearly straight, preapical or apical, brown, fading after passing Rs3 or Rs4. Antemedial and medial areas concolorous, either orange-tan or pale pink. Submarginal area always darker than medial area, usually orange-brown with diffuse gray coloration along wing margin, petiolate scales more abundant submarginally. Discal spot may be absent, when present as small dark brown spot. Fringe orange-tan or with light pink hue. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but coloration of medial and submarginal areas more similar, more uniformly orange, becoming gray distally, usually also pink nearer to thorax. Discal spot always present, usually larger than on dorsum (when present there), sometimes more elongated, narrower. Postmedial line somewhat wavy, not as straight as on dorsum, preapical. Petiolate scales more abundant, widely dispersed. Hindwing dorsum: Rounded, coloration and patterning as for forewing dorsum, antemedial line absent, postmedial line straight or curved outward, submarginal area broader than on forewing dorsum. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum. Frenulum as single bristle. Venation: Typical of Mimallonidae, similar to Lacosoma Grote, 1864 but distal margin of discal cell more slanted. Abdomen: Concolorous with thorax, ventrally with pair of darker gray lines of scales, distal tip of abdomen with tuft of black scales, usually upturned in well-preserved specimens. Genitalia: Simple; vinculum ovoid, ventrally with lightly sclerotized plate attached to VIII. Uncus simple, acutely triangular but very elongated and narrow, laterally smoothly curving or slightly indented mesally. Gnathos formed by two rather short, unfused arms, as either ovoid, flattened lobe with triangular tooth emanating from center or as more heavily sclerotized downwardly angled cylindrical protuberance. Valves triangular, somewhat angled distally. Valves with baseo-mesal indentation which usually bears patch of thick, heavy setae; base of valves extend past vinculum inward into body cavity as narrow singular or bifurcated extension loosely connected to diaphragm and juxta. Juxta fused to phallus, encircling it as oddly shaped saucer with dorsal spined projections superior to phallus, projections either short and heavily spined or more elongated, curved, and less heavily spined. Phallus short, cylindrical, not much longer than width of juxtal saucer. Vesica bag-like. Female.Head: As in male but antennae much smaller overall, pectination particularly shorter. Thorax: As in male though brown scales along prothoracic collar may be darker. Legs: As in male, but tibial spurs shorter. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 12–15 mm, wingspan: 25–31 mm. Sexual dimorphism reduced, male and female very similar. Maculation similar to male but wing broader, convex mesally, submarginal area broader, apex more sharply acute. Coloration generally more diffuse between antemedial, medial, and submarginal areas, less distinctly bicolored. Submarginal area grayer or pinker overall than medial area relative to males. Postmedial line usually more bowed outward, though may be just as straight as in males. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but darker or paler orange. Hindwing dorsum: Coloration and patterning as for forewing dorsum, similar to males but differing in same characters as forewing dorsum. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum. Frenulum reduced, as multiple bristles. Abdomen: Concolorous with thorax, ventrally darker, distal tip with small tuft of elongated scales. Genitalia: Small overall, most characters somewhat atrophied, VIII as weakly sclerotized plate, posteriorly curved, laterally VIII more heavily sclerotized. Apophyses anteriores less than half-length of apophyses posteriores or absent, apophyses posteriores elongate, narrower than apophyses anteriories (when present). Lamella antevaginalis membranous. Ductus bursae broad, wrinkled, bag-like. Corpus bursae narrow, elongated, nearly twice length of VIII–IX. Papillae anales somewhat flattened ventrally, elongated and narrow.
The genus Vanenga seems to share a close affinity with Lacosoma considering the male genitalia (
Perophora mera Dognin, 1924: 31
Vanenga
mera
;
Vanenga
mera
;
Vanenga
mera
;
Holotype, ♂. BRAZIL: Pará: Obidos, Amazones, Brésil [Óbidos, Pará]/ Dognin Collection/ Spec fig/ Perophora mera Type ♂, Dognin/ Type No. 29702 U.S.N.M./
(4 ♂, 1 ♀ total) FRENCH GUIANA: 1 ♂, Route de Mana PK2: 27.VII.2001, M. Laguerre, genitalia prep. D. Herbin ref. H 1118, Bc-Her 2945 (CDH). GUYANA: 1 ♂, Tumatumari: I.1908, S.M. Klages, Rothschild Bequest B.M. 1939–1, St Laurent diss.: 7-7-16:2 (
Vanenga mera can be distinguished from the following species in both sexes. Usually V. mera is smaller, and always bears a distinct discal mark which is often absent in V. mediorosea sp. n. In both sexes, the postmedial line terminates apically in V. mera but is clearly preapical in V. mediorosea sp. n. In males, the forewings are stouter and less sharply angled apically, and the ground color is more tan-orange to fawn, with very little if any pink coloration. Ventrally, the forewing postmedial line is wavier in V. mera. The female is much lighter colored dorsally than the female of V. mediorosea sp. n., with an almost yellow ground color and a pinkish hue submarginally, unlike the brown to orange-brown females of V. mediorosea sp. n. which are usually more grayish brown submarginally. Genitalia are also useful in differentiating these two species. In V. mera the uncus is not indented when viewed laterally and the gnathos consists of flattened, ovoid lobes with a single tooth mesally, rather than the heavily sclerotized, thumb-like projections of V. mediorosea sp. n. Finally, the valves are broader, and the dorsal projections of the phallus-juxta complex are elongated, curved, and only weakly spined, not short, stout, and heavily spined as in V. mediorosea sp. n. The female genitalia can be differentiated from those of V. mediorosea sp. n. by the sclerotized ring of VIII, which is incomplete in V. mera and complete in V. mediorosea sp. n. Furthermore, the apophyses are longer in V. mera, with the apophyses anteriores actually being absent in V. mediorosea sp. n.
Male.Head: As for genus but darker orange to almost red-orange. Thorax: As for genus but pale pink scales absent. Legs: Coloration as for thorax, but with darker orange scales, especially on tibia and tarsus, similar in coloration to that of head. Tibial spurs short, curved, naked or dorsally clothed in scales. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 11–13 mm, avg.: 12 mm, wingspan: 24–25 mm, avg.: 24.5 mm [26 mm in
Vanenga adults, a dorsal b ventral. 1 V. mera holotype ♂, Brazil, Pará, Óbidos (
Vanenga male genitalia, a ventral b lateral c phallus. 10 V. mera, Guyana, Tumatumari, St Laurent diss.: 7-7-16:2 (
Until the present work, all Vanenga specimens have been treated as V. mera in the literature and various worldwide collections, but external and genital morphology, as well as biogeography, clearly separates the genus into two well-distinct species, with the name V. mera only being applicable to the rarely collected Amazonian species. In
Vanenga
mera
;
Holotype, ♂. BRAZIL: Santa Catarina: Jaragua [Jaraguá do Sul], Santa Catarina, Brazil, 5 Dec 1935, Fritz Hoffman/ Vanenga mera Dognin [illegible]?/ St Laurent diss.: 5-17-16:1/ HOLOTYPE male Vanenga mediorosea St Laurent and Herbin, 2017 [handwritten red label]/ (
Paratypes. (103 ♂, 8 ♀ total) BRAZIL: Bahia: 1 ♂, Jequié, 13°56'S, 40°11'W: III.2012, H. Thöny leg., genitalia prep. No. 29.240 (MWM). Espírito Santo: 7 ♂, Santa Leopoldina, Dorf Tirol, 24°75'S, 40°50'W [coordinates may be incorrect], 700 m: 22–31.X.1996 (2 ♂), 8–20.XII.1996 (3 ♂), genitalia prep. No. 29.237, VI.1998 (1 ♂), X.1999 (1 ♂), H. Thöny leg. (MWM). 1 ♂, Santa Leopoldina, Dorf Tirol, 20°10'S, 40°33'W, 700 m: XI.2000, H. Thöny leg. (MWM). 1 ♂, Aracruz: 12.III.1993, João B. Silva [leg.], Coleção Embrapa-
[not to be included in type series] (1 ♂, 1 ♀ total) BRAZIL: Rio Grande do Sul: 1 ♂, Pelotas: 18.III.1953, C.M. de Biezanko [leg.], No. 753 (ex.
[not to be included in type series] BRAZIL: Rio Grande do Sul: 1 ♂, Santa Maria, -29.697441°, -53.920125°, 119 m: 15.XII.2015, R.A. St. Laurent & A.P.S. de Carvalho leg., at MV light (Fig.
For characters differentiating this new species from the previous one, see the diagnosis of V. mera.
Male.Head: As for genus, varying shades of orange fading to pale tan. Thorax: Straw colored, usually with pale pink scales, darker brown-orange scales may be present on prothoracic collar. Legs: Coloration as for thorax, but usually darker orange with rosy scales, vestiture fine, tibial spurs short, curved, naked or dorsally clothed in scales. Forewing dorsum: Forewing length: 10–17 mm, avg. 13.7 mm, wingspan: 23.0–32.5 mm, avg. 27.2 mm, n = 50. Triangular, apically angled, margin nearly straight though may be barely concave or convex. Ground color pale tan-orange to gray-salmon, with varying degree of pale to strong pink coloration antemedial and medially, overall lightly speckled by dark brown petiolate scales, though petiolate scales often absent medially. Antemedial line absent or as faint brown or gray wavy mark. Postmedial line preapical, faint, straight, dark brown to black, distally curved to costa, fading after passing Rs3 or Rs4. Antemedial and medial areas concolorous, pale pink. Submarginal area always darker than medial area, usually orange-brown with diffuse gray coloration along wing margin, petiolate scales more abundant. Discal spot usually absent, though sometimes present as small, dark brown or black spot. Fringe orange-tan with light pink hue. Forewing ventrum: Similar to dorsum but coloration of medial and submarginal area more similar, more uniformly darker orange, becoming gray distally, usually also pink nearer to thorax. Discal spot always present, oblong or circular. Postmedial line may be somewhat wavy or very faint. Petiolate scales more abundant, widely dispersed. Hindwing dorsum: Rounded, coloration and patterning as for forewing dorsum, antemedial line absent, postmedial line straight, submarginal area broader than on dorsum. Hindwing ventrum: Follows same pattern as forewing ventrum, but rosier pink overall than orange, especially antemedial and medially. Abdomen: As for genus. Genitalia: (Figs
(Fig.
This species is named for the pink-flushed (rosea meaning pink, Latin) medial (medio Latin) area of the forewings.
As previously mentioned, V. mediorosea is much more commonly collected than V. mera, and thus the vast majority of Vanenga specimens are mislabeled as V. mera in major collections. Furthermore, V. mediorosea is often present in series in collections rather than singletons as is V. mera.
In performing the research necessary for this revision, we have discovered “types” of Vanenga specimens bearing manuscript names, but which were apparently never described. In the
Additionally, in the
If any or all of these hereby-unavailable names is/are located in the literature, it would be necessary to treat V. mediorosea as a synonym of the most senior name.
Vanenga mediorosea is rather consistent in coloration and markings across its range, though occasionally some specimens are darker brown-orange submarginally and more salmon colored medially. We also note some geographic variation in the length of the gnathos protuberance, which is shorter at the northern and southern extremities of the range (Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul respectively) than centrally along the distribution, such as those from Santa Catarina and São Paulo. There seems to also be some size variation depending on elevation, with larger specimens coming from higher elevations. Two male specimens (Brazil, São Paulo, near São José do Barreiro, 1539 m) from higher elevation than all other examined material are the largest of the examined specimens (Fig.
We would like to thank the individuals and their respective institutions for allowing access to specimens used in this research, these include: Alessandro Giusti (