Catacantha oculata
Creators: name: Bonatto, Leonardo D.
name: Mielke, Carlos G. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Saturniidae
Catacantha
Catacantha oculata

description: Catacantha oculata (Schaus, 1921)
Figs 1a–b, 2a–b, 3; 12 (map)
Diagnosis. Male (Figs 2a–b, 3), see also Lemaire (2002: 156, Pl. 13, Figs 2–3 (♁)): as stated by Lemaire (2002), C. oculata can be distinguished by the most similar species, C. ferruginea (Draudt, 1929), by the dorsal yellow groundcolour on both fore- and hindwings and attributes in the genitalia. The basal portion of the HW is slightly darker in fresh specimens. Males of C. ferruginea bear a light brown to brown ground colour on the FW and reddish-brown to yellowish-brown on the HW (Figs 5a, 6). Ventrally both species are similar (Figs 2b, 5b). Female (Figs 1a–b): wingspan 45 mm, forewing length 26 mm. The unique known female of C. oculata bears a yellowish-brown groundcolour of the FW and its postmedian area is monotonous, while in C. ferruginea the groundcolour of the FW is reddish-brown and the distal portion of its postmedian area is of light greyish-brown (Figs 4a). Ventrally, C. oculata (Fig. 1b) is lighter than C. ferruginea (Fig. 4b).
Examined material (in total 40 ♁, 1 ♀). All Brazil. Minas Gerais. Itamonte, Campo Redondo, 1400 m: 1 ♁, 8–11.I.2021, A. Rosa leg. (DZUP). Marmelópolis, Marins, 1519 m: 9 ♁, 28.XII.1987, C. Mielke & E. Joerke leg. (CGCM 35.785, 38.531, 38.993, 39.002, 39.050, 39.109, 39.190, 39.385, 39.520; CGCM). Delfim Moreira, Barreira, 1700 m: 1 ♁, 12.I.1988, C. Mielke leg. (CGCM 35.563; CGCM). Rio de Janeiro. Macaé de Cima: 1 ♁, XI.2003, Grossi leg. (CGCM 8.951; CGCM). Nova Friburgo, Mury, 1100 m: 1 ♁, 22.I.1990, R. Koike leg. (CGCM 44.583; CGCM). Itatiaia, 1300 m: 1 ♁, 10.X.1950, Travassos, Albuquerque & Pearson leg. (BC-MNHM0310; MNHN). Itatiaia: 4 ♁ (CEIOC (Miranda et al. 2015)). São Paulo. São José do Barreiro, Bocaina, 1500 m: 1 ♁, 2–6.I.1996, C. Mielke leg. (CGCM 31.419; CGCM); 5 ♁, 7–10.II.1996, C. Mielke leg. (CGCM 31.441, 31.554, 31.596, 31.701, 31.843; CGCM). Piquete, Barreira de Piquete, 1464 m: 7 ♁, 26.XII.1999, C. Mielke leg. (CGCM 10.666, 38.403, 39.039, 39.144, 39.149, 39.822, 39.995; CGCM); 4 ♁, 1 ♀, 12.I.1998, C. Mielke leg. (CGCM 35.218, 35.268 (♀), 35.433, 35.516, 35.656; CGCM). Campos do Jordão, Lavrinhas, 1900 m: 1 ♁, 31.X.1990, R. Koike leg. (CGCM 42.094; CGCM). Salesópolis, Boraceia, 800 m: 1 ♁, 12–17.I.1948, L. Travassos & D. Braz leg. (MZSP 23869; MZSP) (Albertoni et al. 2018). São Paulo: 1 ♁, X.1957, Diringshofen leg. (MZSP 23868; MZSP). Santo André, Paranapiacaba, 1100 m: 2 ♁, 26.XII.2021, R. Koike leg. (DZUP).
Remarks. Lemaire (2002) described the female of Catacantha oculata for the first time, but he did not figure it. He seemed to be correct about the figure (a drawing) of the female of C. ferruginea identified as Ancistrota plagia Ḩbner by Draudt (1929). Unfortunately, Lemaire (2002) did not mention the depository of the putative female of C. oculata, so we could not trace it.
Catacantha oculata is a common species, especially at higher altitudes, throughout the Mantiqueira Mountains to the south around São Paulo city, during the early summer at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1800 m. The forewing ornamentation in males varies, especially in the size of the stigma.
One record of C. oculata from Argentina (Borquez & Penco 2012) and one from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (Corseuil et al. 2002) are attributed to lighter specimens of C. ferruginea or an undescribed species. Another record from Argentina mentioned by Zapata et al. (2016) could likely be misidentified as well.
description: Published as part of Bonatto, Leonardo D. & Mielke, Carlos G. C., 2023, Descriptionsof thefemalesof Catacanthaoculata (Schaus) andDirphia riograndensis C. Mielke & Moser and a taxonomic note about Eacles guinlei Oiticica Filho (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae, Ceratocampinae, Hemileucinae)., pp. 191-195 in Zootaxa 5271 (1) on pages 191-192, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5271.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/7860010