A review of the genera Amauta Houlbert, 1918 and Divana J. Y. Miller, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with description of a new genus
Author
Worthy, Robert
0000-0003-0879-6472
10 The Hill, Church Hill, Caterham, Surrey CR 3 6 SD, U. K. castnia @ btopenworld. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0879 - 6472 Austin Achieve Public Schools, Austin, Texas, (Research Associate, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity), USA.
castnia@btopenworld.com
Author
González, Jorge M.
Author
Zilli, Alberto
Natural History Museum, Insects Division, Cromwell Road, London SW 7 5 BD, U. K.
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-10-06
5194
3
301
342
journal article
160070
10.11646/zootaxa.5194.3.1
6aa6dacd-1e74-46ac-a345-2fc691f92608
1175-5326
7154442
96B016A1-5D9B-4013-9F9D-597A6C2FC277
angusta
(H.
Druce, 1907
)
(
Fig. 7C
)
“
Castnia angusta
,
sp. n.
” H.
Druce, 1907
,
The Annals and Magazine of natural History
(7)
20
(120): 505.
Type material:
All the information is compatible with
Druce (1907)
having described this taxon from a single male in his collection, this would therefore be the
holotype
by [likely] monotypy (fig. 7C). The specimen passed from Druce to James John Joicey (1870–1932), and it is now in
NHMUK
; examination shows it to be a female and not a male as Druce surmised.
Type
locality:
Given
by
Herbert Druce
(1846–1913) as “
Ecuador
, Los Lanos” (sic), although on the specimen label it is spelt “Los Lanos”.
Los Lanos
is in
Chimborazo province
in southern
Ecuador
.
Taxonomic status:
A valid species of
Amauta
. It was originally described as a species by
Druce (1907)
and treated as such by
Miller (1995)
, but then sunk to a subspecies of
A. cacica
by
Lamas (1995)
. It is herein restored to a valid species,
stat. rest.
Male genitalia
: (
Fig. 4C
) Uncus simple, almost quadrate but not quite; moderately sclerotised, as is the tegumen. Gnathos strongly sclerotised, bifid anteriad and excavate and dentate posteriad. Cucullus and valvula almost quadrate, with ventral margin of valva somewhat oblique and with sacculus projected. Phallus moderately curved, not contorted, its distal section slightly more than twice the length of the coecum and tapered, wider at the connection with coecum, and half its width by the middle section. Then, the phallus shows a somewhat abrupt enlargement, as sclerotised as the rest of the structure. From there it becomes thin towards the apex. Subterminal portion of phallus not enlarged, and terminal one with a small projection. Phallus completely different from that of
A. cacica
.
Distribution:
This species appears to be found throughout
Ecuador
and northward into the western Cordillera in
Colombia
(
Fig. 13
), although we have some doubts if localities from eastern
Ecuador
are really reliable.
Discussion:
We have long thought that this taxon was probably not conspecific with
Amauta cacica
as it is the only taxon in the group in which the postmedian bands on both fore- and hindwings are the same colour, and the hindwing band is much narrower than any of the other related taxa. Most recent studies have treated it as a subspecies of
A. cacica
but a dissection of the male genitalia shows that it is clearly a separate species. The distribution seems to be similar to that of
Vadina hodeei kruegeri
and
Divana diva hoppi
.
Material examined:
For this study, as well as the
types
of
angusta
and
oberthueri
, we have examined an additional
40 males
and
29 females
from various parts of
Ecuador
and
7 males
and
2 females
from
Colombia
as follows
:
1♂
Colombia
(
MGCL
)
;
1♂
Rio Dagua
,
W Rosenberg
;
1♂
Rio
Magdalena
, (
NHMUK
)
;
1♂
Putumayo
:
Sibundoy
a
2100 m
, hembra,
18-XI-2008
,
F. Narváez
leg.
;
1♂
Rio
Cauca
,
Caldas
;
1♂
San José del Palmar
,
Chocó
;
1♂
Rio Garrapatas
,
Cauca
Valley
;
1♀
Caldas
:
Anserma-Pidrias
,
1000 m
,
3-IV-1998
,
J. Vargas
leg.
;
1♀
Sibundoy
,
Putumayo
(
JS
)
.