Zaphanta infantilis Dyari 1910
Creators: name: St Laurent, Ryan A.
name: Giusti, Alessandro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Mimallonidae
Zaphanta
Zaphanta infantilis

description: Zaphanta infantilis Dyar, 1910
(Figures 2–4, 25, 26, 38, 41)
Zaphanta infantilis Dyar, 1910: 85. Original description; Zaphanta infantilis: Schaus 1928; Zaphanta infantilis: Gaede 1931; Zaphanta infantilis: Forbes 1942, actually Z. fraterna; Zaphanta infantilis: Fletcher and Nye 1982; Zaphanta infantilis: Becker 1996; Zaphanta infantilis: St Laurent and Cock 2017; Zaphanta infantilis: St Laurent et al. 2018; Zaphanta infantilis: St Laurent and Kawahara 2019
Diagnosis
Externally, Z. infantilis is not readily distinguishable from most other Zaphanta species (except from the few more unique species for which detailed diagnoses are given below). Zaphanta infantilis is the only species in the genus which possesses a tight clump of sharp, semi-deciduous spines originating from the costal valva apodeme. Other species with modified costal apodemes instead have setae or singular tusk-like projections, not multiple, sharp, erect spines as in Z. infantilis. This species is one of the few Zaphanta species for which the female is known, and can be readily differentiated from the females of both Z. fraterna and Z. elephanta sp. nov. by the deeply concave tergite VIII (Figure 38 (c)), a character of the tergite not observed in female Z. elephanta sp. nov., and which is reduced in Z. fraterna. Furthermore, Z. infantilis female genitalia have a narrow, posterior projection dorsally on tergite VIII, whereas in Z. fraterna this same region is occupied by a broad lobe, and is bilobed in Z. elephanta sp. nov.
Description
Male. Head: As for genus. Thorax: As for genus. Legs: As for genus. Fore wing dorsum: As for genus. Fore wing length: 8–11 mm, avg.: 9.3 mm, wingspan: 17–22 mm, n = 14. Fore wing ventrum: As for genus. Hind wing dorsum: As for genus. Hind wing ventrum: As for genus. Abdomen: As for genus. Genitalia: (Figures 25 and 26) n = 7. Vinculum ovoid, basally converging in angle in some specimens, base of vinculum rectangular. Tegumen broad, triangular. Uncus triangular and heavily sclerotised apically, apex truncated or slightly pointed (compare Figures 25 (a) and 26(a)). Subuncal projection forming a closed ring with lateral margins of tegumen, mesally more heavily sclerotised and with slight singular protrusion that may be minutely toothed; uncus-tegumen complex basally wider relative to remainder of genitalia (and other Zaphanta). Transtilla sclerotisation always at least vaguely triangular, with rounded or pointed dorsal vertex, generally well sclerotised. Valvae variable in width but always narrowed distally and angled upward (when spread) with middle of saccular edge forming an elbow-like angle; bases of valvae meet mesally but do not touch in centre of vinculum. Costal base of valvae (valva apodeme) projected outwards as lobe bearing compact set of sharp, well-sclerotised spines. Caecum of phallus shorter than half length of phallus, rounded. Phallus stout, cylindrical, ventrally extended to well-sclerotised, sharp point; viewed ventrally, phallus with spines laterally on either side proximal to terminus, spines of right side significantly more developed, occasionally extending from outwardly rounded surface, spiny lateral surfaces variable but always covered by membranous juxtal elongations present on either side of phallus; both right and left portions of phallus with elongated, fingerlike sclerotised strip extending outward along base of vesica.
Female. Head: As for genus but antennae pectinations more widely spaced and longer than pectinations observed in male. Thorax: As for male. Legs: As for male. Fore wing dorsum: Fore wing length: 9 mm, n = 1. Almost identical to male, but slightly broader overall; submarginal suffusions more defined. Fore wing ventrum: As for male. Hind wing dorsum: As for male but rounder. Hind wing ventrum: As for male; frenulum as multiple bristles. Abdomen: As for male but slightly broader. Sternite VII with elongated scales on either side, mesal sclerotised plate (covering ostium in natural position) covered in elongate setae and thick covering of scales anteriorly below mesal plate. Genitalia: (Figure 38) n = 1. As for genus but tergite VIII deeply concave with elongate mesal projection, region of tergite VIII proximal to base of papillae anales bilobed, weakly sclerotised, covered in short setae; sternite VIII broadened and squared. Ostium bursae globular, bowl-like, more heavily sclerotised than surrounding VIII, width of sclerotised ostium region only about one-quarter width of segment VIII.
Type material
Holotype ♂. Guyana: Rockstone, Essequebo [Essequibo River]/Collection Wm Schaus/ Zaphanta infantilis Type Dyar/ Type No. 13065 U.S. N.M./USNM-Mimal:1103/(USNM, examined).
Paratypes. (2 ♂ examined) French Guiana: 2 ♂, St. Jean, Maroni: Collection Wm Schaus, USNM-Mimal: 2558, 2560 [yellow labels added that read ‘implicit PARATYPE Zaphanta infantilis ’] (USNM).
Additional material examined
Guyana. 1 ♂, Potaro: February 1908, S.M. Klages, Rothschild Bequest BM 1939–1, NHMUK 010890491, genitalia vial NHMUK 010402340 (NHMUK). 1 ♂, Rockstone: W.J. Kaye, 1904–25, NHMUK 010890492 (NHMUK). 1 ♂, Christianburg, Rio Demerara: NHMUK 010890493, genitalia vial NHMUK 010402341 (NHMUK). 1 ♂, Malali (CUIC). 1 ♂, No additional locality data: H. Rolle, Berlin, S.W.II, Dognin Collection, USNM-Mimal: 2551 (USNM). 1 ♂, British Guyana [photo examined only] (CMNH).
French Guiana. 1 ♂, St. Georges Oyap., Piton Armontabo: 16 March 2009, F. Bénéluz leg., St Laurent dissection: CPC4 (CPC). 1 ♂, St. Jean [du] Maroni (MNHU). 5 ♂, 1 ♀, St. Jean du Maroni: Received from E. Le Moult, Rothschild Bequest BM 1939–1, NHMUK 010606780 [♂], genitalia vial NHMUK 010402338; NHMUK 010890487 [♂], genitalia vial NHMUK 010402339; NHMUK 010890488–010890490 [♂]; NHMUK 010890494 [♀], genitalia vial NHMUK 010402342 (NHMUK). 1 ♂, St. Jean du Maroni: Collection Le Moult, Dognin Collection, USNM-Mimal: 2561 (USNM). 1 ♂, Nouveau Chantier: Collection Le Moult, Dognin Collection, USNM-Mimal: 2559 (USNM).
Trinidad. 2 ♂, 2.5 mi SE of Valencia, Valencia For [est]: April 1980, M.J.W. Cock, MV light, MJWC specimen dissected M. Cock (MJWC, NHMUK).
Distribution
Zaphanta infantilis is so far known only from the Guianas and Trinidad.
Remarks
Zaphanta infantilis is the type species of Zaphanta, described by Dyar, along with Zaphanta in 1910. Schaus (1912) described Z. fraterna shortly thereafter, and subsequently treated Z. fraterna as a synonym of Z. infantilis (Schaus 1928). This has been the arrangement of the genus until the revalidation of Z. fraterna by St Laurent and Kawahara (2019) based on morphological characters differentiating the two species. Here we figure these morphological differences for the first time.
St Laurent and Kawahara (2019) clarified the type locality of Z. infantilis by associating the locality label of the holotype of Z. infantilis with the holotype specimen, since Dyar (1910) did not originally specify which locality was associated with the holotype after mentioning two separate localities for the type series. Therefore, we follow St Laurent and Kawahara (2019) in considering ‘the type’ originally designated by Dyar as the holotype. We did not dissect the holotype; however, upon brushing scales from the tip of the abdomen we were able to reveal unambiguously the valva apodeme spines that are characteristic of this species, thus eliminating the need to destructively examine the holotype.
Apart from the taxonomic history of the name infantilis and the morphological characters given above, very little is known about this species. French Guiana is one of the most intensely sampled regions in the Neotropics for Mimallonidae, but Z. infantilis is one of the least commonly collected mimallonids from this region (St Laurent pers. obs.).
description: Published as part of St Laurent, Ryan A. & Giusti, Alessandro, 2019, Revision of Zaphanta Dyarı 1910 (Lepidoptera: Mimallonidae: Zaphantinae) ı with descriptions of nine new species, pp. 1209-1246 in Journal of Natural History 53 (19) on pages 1216-1222, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1634772, http://zenodo.org/record/3673463