Misplaced Neotropical Agaristinae (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), with descriptions of new taxa

Abstract

The following taxa, formerly misplaced, are transferred to Agaristinae based on characters of genitalia and, especially, on the presence of a prominence on the frons of head, a character absent in the Arctiinae: Acyclania Dognin, 1911, Chlanidophora Berg, 1877 and Graphelysia Hampson, 1911 from the Arctiinae; Cyanohypsa Giacomelli, 1911 from the Pericopinae [= Pericopini]; Oxytaphora Dyar, 1917 from the Amphipyrinae; Cabralia judsoni Schaus, 1933 from the Ophiderinae [= Catocalinae] to Rhosus Walker, 1854 [= Rhosus judsoni (Schaus) comb. nov.]; Caularisia gen. nov. is proposed to include C. zikani (Schaus, 1933) comb. nov.; Gerra radiata sp. nov. is described from Brazil; Caridarctia Hampson, 1901 syn. nov. [= Chlanidophora Berg]; Chlanidophora mariae Köhler, 1924 syn. nov. [= Acyclania tenebrosa Dognin], Aucula particolor Dyar, 1914 syn. nov. and Gerra pulchra Draudt, 1919 syn. nov. [= Darcetina sublata (Walker, [1865])]; lectotypes are designated for Caularis zikani Schaus, 1933 and for Aucula particolor Dyar, 1914

Insect taxonomy can be difficult: a noctuid moth (Agaristinae:Aletopus imperialis) and a geometrid moth (Sterrhinae:Cartaletis dargei) combined into a cryptic species complex in eastern Africa (Lepidoptera)

“…5-6); forewing often with pale spots or bands on black background (characters after Holloway, 2001); cone-shaped prominence on frons of head (Fig. 7) (character after Becker, 2010). Several Agaristinae species have white fringes on forewing apex, which is also present in our study species.…”

“…We illustrate the characteristic cone-shaped prominence on the frons of the head (Fig. 7), which we have found across Agaristinae studied from Australia, Thailand, Africa, and which is mentioned by Becker (2010) to occur in the Neotropical species. The apex is crater-shaped with tiny sensilla (Fig.…”

“…The subfamily Agaristinae is diagnosable on the basis of morphological characters (e.g., Kitching & Rawlins, 1999;Holloway, Kibby& Peggie, 2001, see Results). An additional character was mentioned by Becker, 2010 to occur in the Neotropical species, namely the cone-shaped prominence on the frons of the head. We report this structure from African Aletopus also, and additionally found it across Agaristinae studied from Australia, Thailand and Africa.…”

“…This unusual external appearance has led to several misclassifications. One of the rarest ''butterflies'' (Hesperiidae) ever, which is known by a single specimen, was shown to be an agaristine moth (Zilli & Grishin, 2019) and numerous misplaced Neotropical taxa were recently transferred to Agaristinae (Becker, 2010). These moths were transferred from Erebidae: Arctiinae, Erebidae: Calpinae (=Ophiderinae), Erebidae: Pericopinae and Noctuidae: Amphipyrinae.…”

The taxonomic position of Cabralia trifasciata Moore, 1882 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Phosphilini)

“…Cabralia Moore, 1882(in Jones, 1882, was proposed as a monotypic genus, in the Glotullidae, to include C. trifasciata Moore, 1882, described on the base of a single male reared from a larva feeding on a "prickly climbing plant" by Jones, found near São Paulo, Brazil. A second species, C. hudsoni Schaus, 1933 was added to it, but transferred to Rhosus Walker (Agaristinae) (Becker, 2010). C. trifasciata has been described at least three times again, by Berg (1885), by Bourquin (1937) , 1982, in Jones, 1882, Proc.…”