Aenetus negasii Grehan, C. Mielke & Ignatev 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Grehan, John R.
name: Mielke, Carlos G. C.
name: Ignatev, Nikolai
name: Groof, Benny De
name: Yakovlev, Roman
name: Klingler, Mark A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Aenetus
Aenetus negasii

description: Aenetus negasii Grehan, C. Mielke & Ignatev sp. nov.
(Figs 8a–b, 9a–b, 10e, 13i–j, 14c, 15e, 16d, 17g –h, 21a–e)
Type Material. Holotype. ♂ / November, 2017, probably Mt. Langgaliru, Sumba, Indonesia / Holotype, Aenetus negasii ♂, Grehan, & C. Mielke, 2024 / Dissection No. JRG M283 (SNMF).
Diagnosis. Distinguished by plain green hindwing, contrasting with white or green tinted hindwing for males of other described species.
Description. Male (Figs 8a–b, 9a–b, 10e, 13e–f, 14c, 15e, 16d, 17g –h, 21a–e). Wingspan ~ 56 mm; Forewing length: 30 mm, width: 14 mm; hindwing length: 24 mm, width: 15 mm.
Head. Antennae missing. Covered with pale green scales, junction with prothorax with 'collar' of elongate scales, eyes at least ¾ headwidth in dorsal view (Fig. 9a), clypeus dark gray (Fig. 9b), labial palp three segmented, covered with pale yellowish-brown scales, mid segment slightly longer than basal segment, distal segment about 1/3 length of mid segment, slightly wider apically, with prominent vom Rath’s organ at apex (Fig. 10e).
Thorax. Pro and mesothorax dorsally covered with dark green scales, scutum III pale yellowish brown, anteriorly glabrous, dorsal posterior scales and lateral and ventral thorax pale green; Forewing triangular, costal margin slightly concave centrally; apex slightly falcate, outer margin straight to strongly angled tornus, anal margin shallow curve; venation as described for A. polovi sp. nov. other than single A vein (Fig. 14c). Forewing dorsal ground colour pale green with darker green curved transverse lines between veins, width expanding near bordering veins to form a narrow hourglass shape; each row of transverse lines slightly offset from adjacent rows; posterior axillary sclerite of forewing with long orange-brown scales; costal margin basally green, then dark brown interspersed with two whitish green trapezoidal patches. Central region of wing with narrow postdiscal transverse white band from near anal margin between CuA 2 and A to costal margin just basal to junction of Rs1 + Rs2. Fringe scales piliform and long on posterior margin, becoming shorter and more lamellar-form towards apex. Ventral ground colour pale reddish brown, scales predominantly pilose to cross veins of outer discal cell edges, and across posterior cells approximately to M 3. Outer cells with predominantly short, narrow lamellar shaped scales. Dorsal and ventral hindwing pale whitish green. Legs (13i–j) basally yellowish green, tarsi yellowish brown; arolium present, proleg with short, narrowly triangular epiphysis (Fig. 13j); metaleg femur strongly curved; tibia inflated, wider than femur, metatibial androconia pale reddish-brown.
Pre-genital abdomen. Yellowish green, darker green posteriorly. Tergites and sternites weakly sclerotized; tergum II (Fig. 16d) with lateral ridge extending postero-medially from lateral tuberculate plate, and posteriorly branching dorsally and ventrally; tergum III lateral ridge less well developed and lacking posterior branching. Sternum II broad, with V-shaped anterior margin (damaged centrally in dissection). Lateral arm of sternum II with strongly sclerotized ridge angled toward midline posteriorly to central sclerotized patch. Tergosternal connection (Fig. 15e) with triangular tergosternal bar, not strongly fused with intermediate zone, elongate with acute apex at lateral arm of sternum II; lateral and dorsal brace short, right angled to each other with broad edge, dorsal brace not strongly fused to anterior edge of tergum II; deep sinus adjacent to dorsal brace. Tergum VIII subsquare with convex posterior margin, sternum VIII reduced, diamond shaped with posterior margin forming short, dorsally oriented, central spine (Fig. 17g [enlarged 16h]).
Genitalia (Fig. 21a–e). Pseudotegumen with smooth convex margin either side of anogenital field, posteroventrally narrowing to point fused across median, dorsally forming an expanded auriform shape. Tegumen subrectangular, narrowing medially (to sacculus) and laterally (to pseudotegumen). Saccus V-shaped, anterior margin concave, lateral arms broadly rounded, posterior medial margin deeply notched. Valva prominent, subequal to length of pseudotegumen, inner and ventral surfaces with short setae, shallow convex ridge subtending three narrow spines, all distally curved, particularly basal spine; basal two spines adjacent; distal spine separated by distance subequal to expanse of basal spines, extending at right angle to valva, straight, with long setae on outer distal edge; sacculus rounded. Fultura inferior rectangular, antero-posteriorly narrow, fultura superior membranous.
Female. Unknown.
Geographical Distribution. Known from the type locality only, Sumba Island, Indonesia. Probably Mt. Langgaliru (Fig. 22).
Host plants. Unknown.
Etymology. Named for Adhanom Negasi, Ethiopian entomologist and colleague of JRG. A noun in the genitive case.
Remarks. The male hindwing for all other described species in Indonesia (Malaku Islands), Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand are either white, or whitish-green (cf Dugdale 1994, Salesne 2010, Simonsen 2018, Beaver 1919a, b, Beaver et al. 2020). The hindwing of A. negasii is a homogenous plain green without whitish tints or highlights.
description: Published as part of Grehan, John R., Mielke, Carlos G. C., Ignatev, Nikolai, Groof, Benny De, Yakovlev, Roman & Klingler, Mark A., 2025, Four new species of Aenetus Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from eastern Indonesia, with comment on distributional correlation with Gondwana tectonics, pp. 537-554 in Zootaxa 5613 (3) on pages 545-549, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5613.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/15216976