Mutipialus Mielke & Grehan & Koike 2021, gen. n.
Creators: name: Mielke, Carlos G. C.
name: Grehan, John R.
name: Koike, Ricardo M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Mutipialus

description: Mutipialus gen. n.   
(Figs 8–15, 16–17, 24, 27–28, 30, 34–35, 38–39, 41–42, 45–46, 49–50, 54–57)  
Type species: Mutipialus dilatus sp. nov. by present designation.   
Included species: M. dilatus sp. n. and M. monticolus sp. n.   
 Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Hepialidae by the broad dorso-posterior plates of the tergal lobe and pseudotegumen (Figs 49–50) and from all other New World Hepialidae by a pocket-like caecum formed by separation of the dorsal and ventral walls of the saccus (Figs 49a–50a). Also distinct among other South American Hepialidae by the following combination of characters: i) prominent transverse scale tuft over the eyes emerging between the base of the antenna and the eye margin (Figs 16–17), ii) labial palpus trisegmented (Fig. 17), iii) antenna lamellate, iv) ‘hepialine’ venation, v) forewing CuP distally connected to A vein distally (Figs 27–28), vi) ♂ hindwing 1A and 2A complete (Fig. 27), vii) ♀ hindwing 1A, 2A (Fig. 28), viii) ♀ hindwing 1A and 2A proximate in basal half (Fig. 28), ix) arolium present, x) sternite VIII membranous in females (Figs 34–35)and, xi) pseudotegumen unfused dorsally and fused across median ventrally (Figs 49b–c, 50b–c).   
 Description. Male (Figs 11–12, 14, 16, 24, 27, 30, 41–42, 45–46, 49–50).   
 Head. Clypeus glabrous, projected anteriorly, differentiated from frons. Frons with piliform and porrect scales, transverse scale tuft over eyes. Vertex scales as for frons. Eyes large, occupying 3/5 of head in anterior view. Labial palps trisegmented. Antenna lamellate, sensilla caetica sparse, sensilla trichodea present; scape and pedicel with scales as for frons.   
 Thorax. Legs (Fig. 24): epiphysis and arolium present. Venation (Fig. 27): forewing without Sc1, CuP connected to A distally; hindwing without Sc1, CuP absent, 1A and 2A complete; Sc and Rs separated.   
 Abdomen (Figs 41–42, 45–46). Tergosternal sclerite with tergosternal bar curving disto-anteriorly, intermediate zone weakly sclerotized with robust posterior edge angled ventrally to, but not fused with posterior margin of tergosternal bar; lateral ridge anterior of tergosternal bar very short, dorsal ridge not fused with anterior ridge of tergum I. Tergite and sternite VII and VIII sclerotized.   
 Genitalia (Figs 49–50). Tegumen and tergal lobes fused to pseudotegumen. Saccus with dorsal and ventral walls forming an inflated space. Pseudotegumen unfused dorsally, fused ventrally; anogenital margin with lateral ridge. Fultura inferior and superior sclerotised.   
 Female (Figs 8–10, 13, 15, 17, 28, 34–35, 38–39, 54–57).   
 Head. As for male.   
 Thorax. Legs: as for male. Venation (Fig. 28): 1A, 2A and 3A complete.   
 Abdomen (Figs 34–35, 38–39). As for male. Sternite VIII membranous.   
 Genitalia (Figs 54–57). Tergite IX slightly projecting posteriorly. Lamella antevaginalis forming continuous plate without dorsal margin forming distinct medial or lateral lobes. Ductus bursae tubular, and corpus bursae similar to ductus, but of variable width, narrower or wider near junction with ductus bursae.   
 Etymology. Mutipialus gen. n. comes from the Latin prefix Muti - (shortened) added to - pialus extracted from the first described Hepialidae genus Hepialus Fabricius. The name refers to the shortened body appearance of the two new species. The gender is masculine.   
 Geographical distribution. Known from southeastern Minas Gerais to northeastern Santa Catarina (Fig. 58).   
 Remarks. All Mutipialus gen. n. species are monovoltine with spring and summer emergence.
description: Published as part of Mielke, Carlos G. C., Grehan, John R. & Koike, Ricardo M., 2021, Descriptions of two new genera and six new species of ghost-moths (Lepidoptera Hepialoidea: Hepialidae) from south-eastern and southern Brazil, pp. 561-580 in Zootaxa 5020 (3) on page 567, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5020.3.7