Abantiades macropusinsulariae Simonsen 2018
Creators: name: Moore, Michael D.
name: Beaver, Ethan P.
name: Velasco-Castrillón, Alejandro
name: Stevens, Mark I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Abantiades
Abantiades macropusinsulariae

description: Abantiades macropusinsulariae Simonsen, 2018 (female)
Figs 6 a–b, 7a–d.
Material Examined:
SAMA. 1♀, SA, Kangaroo Island, North Cape Road, Bay of Shoals, M+ M Moore, 35 o 35’47.7”S 137 o 35’40.7”E, 2 May 2019. Specimen No 19169. Leg removed for DNA analysis; Designation G 116. Dissected M.D. Moore 12 th Feb. 2020. SAMA No. 31-021005.
Diagnosis:
Endemic to Kangaroo Island, the males of A. macropusinsulariae have patterned forewings with many scattered, irregular shaped, white coloured marks, and lighter coloured hindwings giving a two-tone effect to the specimens and they also have a red-brown antennal flagellum. Specifically, Simonsen (2018) states, “second segment of the labial palp very long, more than 3x the length of the terminal segment, S8 short and pentagonal with a medially slightly projecting posterior margin, distal pseudoteguminal lobes smoothly triangularly rounded without a concave curvature on the dorso-posterior margin, disto-posterior arm of vinculum with a small, lateral ridge; saccus in posteroventral view narrowly V-shaped”. The female of this species is black/grey and white, has patterned forewings and a red-brown antennal flagellum with distinctly triforked pectinations. Specifically, it varies from all other triforked Abantiades females by; i) the heavily sclerotized bands bordering the medial lobe of the antevaginal lamella, and ii) the long, conical end projection on the corpus bursae. The wings in both sexes of this species are shorter and broader than in the other species in this clade.
Description:
Female
Head: Head, thickly covered in medium grey piliform scales, fronto-clypeal scales darker. Two large compound eyes, each only slightly smaller than head capsule. Labial palps approximately straight, three segmented, second palpomere longest, third smallest, sub-spherical, all densely covered in brown coloured scales. Antennae: (Figs 7 c–d). total 48 segments, length 11–12 mm, 20% of forewing length; flagellum dark red-brown, monopectinate, basal pectinations tear-drop shaped, then transitional to triforked about 1/5 from base. Lateral projections red-brown approximately parallel sides with blunt, rounded end, central fork white, long triangular with narrowly acute tip.
Thorax: Densely clothed in medium-grey piliform scales. Forewing: length 48 mm, membrane whitish opaque, veins white, thinly covered with short, dark grey scales. Dorsal surface: space between costa and Sc vein thickly covered in small piliform grey scales particularly near base. Two large white areas; discoidal, filled with dull white scales, and in this specimen divided medially into two irregular patches, patch of dark brown/grey scales along anterior edge in basal half. Sub-terminal band dull white, sublinear between M3 and near apex. Also, a series of intervein, irregular white shapes along termen. White, strongly marked scrolling lines in apical area, less apparent elsewhere. Circular white mark present on posterior wing half way along the dorsum (Fig. 6b – arrow). White markings edged in blackish-brown scales with lighter, grey scales filling the inter-scrolled spaces. Ventral surface unmarked but with dorsal markings faintly visible, sparsely covered by reddish-brown digitiform scales that are longer near dorsum particularly near the base. Hindwing: 39 mm, dorsal surface with whitish veins, and elongate reddish-brown piliform scales. Ventral surface, as for forewing. Legs: Dorsal and lateral surfaces densely covered in grey piliform scales, longer laterally, ventrally covered in sandy red scales. Epiphysis and arolium present.
Abdomen: Covered in long dark grey piliform scales.
Genitalia: (Figs 7 a–b). Dorsal plate lightly sclerotized, bilobed, with deep “V” shaped central invagination of plate. Outer margin curved with triangular prominences in central region of each lobe (Fig. 7a – arrow).Antevaginal lamella trilobate with broad areas of connection between lateral and medial plates. Medial plate more heavily sclerotized, dorsal margin centrally raised with minute bilobed prominence and heavily sclerotized convex sides. Long, thick setae on prominence and generally over central surface of medial plate. Also, on inner margins of lateral lobes and on lobes of dorsal plate. Sub-anal plates sclerotized, pentagonal. Corpus bursae broad at junction with narrow ductus bursae and then tapering as a long conical terminal. No diverticulum observed.
Distribution and Biology:
Recorded Localities: (Figs 10, 12 e–f) Coastal, previously only from Vivonne Bay (south-central of Island), but now also on North Cape (NE of Island).
Flight times: April 19 th to May 3 rd (Simonsen 2018). The female and an associated male were collected on the 2 nd of May.
Larval biology: Unknown.
Remarks:
The female specimen (MT052730) in Fig. 1 was initially identified as A. macropusinsulariae by sequencing of the mtDNA (COI) gene, and groups with the four other male A. macropusinsulariae specimens. All five A. macropusinsulariae specimens are closely related and form a sister group to A. pallida and A. tembyi sp. nov.
Comparison with the females of A. inexpecta, A. cephalocorvus sp. nov., and A. tembyi sp. nov. is not possible because none have been located in collections. We can compare the females of the three remaining species if we use Simonsen (2018) for the features of A. kristenseni. In A. macropusinsulariae the structure of the genitalia is particularly interesting as the heavily sclerotized bands bordering the medial lobe of antevaginal lamella are not present in any other as yet dissected Abantiades female, triforked or otherwise. These bands presumably provide rigidity. In our opinion this provides a three dimensionality to the structure not seen in any other triforked Abantiades. The only other female Abantiades that shows any marked three dimensionality in its structure is A. equipalpus Moore, 2014. The corpus bursae is also unique in having a long taper at its distal end, that was particularly notable upon first opening the abdomen, the taper being bent forward over the whole structure.
Abantiades macropusinsulariae is a dark grey/black coloured moth with distinct discoidal and submarginal white marks whereas both A. kristenseni and A. pallida are light grey in colour. In the specimens available it seems that A. kristenseni will usually have two large marks on the forewings, discoidal and submarginal, whereas A. pallida will only have a submarginal mark. Upon dissection A. macropusinsulariae stands out having a narrow medial lobe to the antevaginal lamella edged in thick sclerotization, more regularly shaped, more rounded and more widely separated lobes on the dorsal plate and sub-anal plates that are double the area of the other two species. Abantiades pallida and A. kristenseni both have shallow rounded lobes on the dorsal plate and no thick sclerotization on the medial lobe. Also, the medial lobe of the antevaginal lamella is over triple the width in A. kristenseni and the lateral processes on the inner margin are triangular and pointed whereas in A. pallida where the medial lobe is a little narrower than A. kristenseni (but still triple the width of A. macropusinsulariae) the lateral processes are ten percent longer, trapezoidal in form and blunt ended. The setose nipple like eruptions (Fig. 9 – arrow)) on the lateral lobes of the antevaginal lamella seen in A. pallida has not been seen on either of the two other females.
Endemic to Kangaroo Island, A. macropusinsulariae can be separated from the other two triforked species present on the island by its antennae. Abantiades macropusinsulariae has a dark red flagellum, distinctly three lobed pectinations with a long, pointed pale central fork. Abantiades atripalpis (Walker, 1856) antennae are tan/russet in colour, pectinations are more rhomboidal and with a shorter central fork, and scrolling lines that are fine and indistinct. Abantiades argentata has dark brown, black rami similar in shape to A. atripalpis, and brown forewings with more obvious scrolling lines.
description: Published as part of Moore, Michael D., Beaver, Ethan P., Velasco-Castrillón, Alejandro & Stevens, Mark I., 2020, Description of two new Australian species of Abantiades Herrich-Schäffer (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) and females of two further species with notes on their biogeography, pp. 71-93 in Zootaxa 4822 (1) on pages 84-86, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4822.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4401266