Abantiades tembyi Moore & Beaver & Velasco-Castrillón & Stevens 2020, sp. nov.
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 tembyi

description: Abantiades tembyi Moore & Beaver, sp. nov.
Figs 2b, 4 a–d.
Material Examined:
Holotype ♂. In SAMA collection. South Australia, Eyre Pen., Ceduna, 32 o 07’27.5” S, 133 o 49’27.3” E, 28 th April 2014, N. Temby. Holotype label attached.
Paratypes ♂. SAMA, 1♂, South Australia, Eyre Pen., Ceduna, 32 o 07’27.5” S, 133 o 49’27.3” E, 28 th April 2014, N. Temby. Dissected M.D. Moore. Leg taken for DNA analysis Spec. No. S 043, DNA sample designation M032. SAMA, 1♂, South Australia, Eyre Pen., Ceduna, 32 o 07’27.5” S, 133 o 49’27.3” E, 28 th April 2014, N. Temby. Spec. No. 17016. SAMA, 1♂, 23 rd April 2017, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 31.478’ S, 139 o 54.879’ E, Coll: M. Hura. SAMA, 2 ♂, M. H. Hopgood, Yurgo. SAMA Nos 31-019502, 31-019793 ANIC, 1♂, Australia: South Australia, Ceduna area during 13.4 mm rain, 28 April 2014 Leg. N. Temby, Abantiades sp. indet. et nov., det. J.E. Nielsen. ANIC, 1♂, 23 rd May 2017, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 31.478’ S, 139 o 54.879’ E, Coll: M. Hura. John Nielsen Private Collection. 1♂, Australia: South Australia, Ceduna area during 13.4 mm rain, 28 April 2014 Leg. N. Temby, Abantiades sp. indet. et nov., det. J.E. Nielsen. Spec. No. 17270, DNA Sample designation H063. Dissected M.D. Moore. Mark Hura private collection, 1♂, 10 th May 2015, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 31.478’ S, 139 o 54.879’ E, Coll: M. Hura. Spec. no. 17261. DNA Sample designation H061. Mark Hura private collection, 1♂, 19 th May 2019, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 31.478’ S, 139 o 54.879’ E, Coll: M. Hura. E. Beaver private collection, 1♂, 23 rd April 2017, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 31.478’ S, 139 o 54.879’ E, Coll: E. P. Beaver + M. Hura. Spec. No. 19019, DNA Sample designation G047, coll. E. P. Beaver and M. Hura, 1♂, 25 APR 2020, 30 km E by N of Swan Reach, S. Aust., 34 o 29.604’ S, 139 o 54.926’ E, Coll: M. Hura. MusVic, 1♂, Timberoo Station, Walpeup, Vic., 10-5-1920, (G. Lyell Coll. – presented 21-7-32.) Registration No. HET – 44837.
Diagnosis:
A medium sized species found east of the Nullarbor in mallee habitats, that has both the fore and hind wings dark brown, but with the forewing covered in fine white or pale grey scrolling lines over most of its surface. Males of Abantiades tembyi sp. nov. differ from all other species of Abantiades by: i) the shape of the sternite VIII (Fig. 4d), ii) the narrow set, relatively short, narrowly inwardly curved vincular arms (Fig. 4c), and iii) the heavily sclerotized, erect, pseudoteguminal lobes with prominent triangular processes and long concave disto-posterior margins (Fig. 4a). Analysis of the mtDNA (COI) will also allow positive identification. For a complete comparison of the species within this clade, and other triforked Abantiades species likely to be found within the range, see the Remarks section below.
Description:
Male
Head: Ventrally clothed in elongate red-straw coloured scales, fronto-clypeal region red-straw coloured scales tipped grey. Two large compound eyes, each only slightly smaller than head capsule. Labial palps three segmented, second palpomere longest, not straight and slightly angled laterally near the terminal end, third smallest, sub-spherical, clothed in reddish, straw coloured scales. Antennae total 72 segments, monopectinate but dividing almost immediately into triforked rami, red-brown. In resting position central fork projects downwards, others laterally to anterior and posterior, then vertically downwards until tips level with tip of central fork.
Thorax: Clothed in elongate piliform grey scales, dorsal darker. Forewing length, 38–55 mm, veins red-brown. Dorsal surface; area between costa and Rs thickly covered by short scales, grey near base, browner towards apex, and interspersed with scattered whitish scales. Discoidal and submarginal bands broad, white, linear; discoidal band with irregular margin and comprising densely packed shining white scales, margin highlighted with dark brown scales. In anterior of discoidal cell grey or brown scroll lines. Posterior to white line, thick area of dark brown scaled highlighting particularly towards apical end. Submarginal mark variable in shape, length, and amount of highlighting. Sides sub parallel swollen in middle, apex to CuA2, filled with shining white scales. In some specimens the area between the two major white marks can be brown and largely empty of markings, or have irregular white spots, or have fine white scrolling, or be bridged by white scales linking the discoidal and sub-marginal marks. A sub-terminal line suggested, edged white, but this can be series of diamond shapes. Grey/white scrolling lines extensive. Anterior portion of wing, two or three scales thick, large shapes, posterior and termen scrolling finer, only one scale thick, often parallel lines though larger shapes can be present. Ventral surface; forward Sc sparingly covered, longish brown piliform scales, rest sparsely covered, long straw-brown scales. Hindwing; 30–40 mm. Wing membranes only slightly opaque. Dorsal surface; Veins straw-brown. Forward of Sc dense covering longish brown scales. Rest sparsely covered, longish straw-coloured scales. Ventral surface; Forward of Sc densely covered smaller light brown scales. Rest sparsely covered in long light brown piliform scales. Legs; Dorsal coloured grey, lateral and ventral covered in longer lighter scales. Arolium and epiphysis present.
Abdomen: All sternites and tergites densely covered in dark grey, long, piliform scales. Sometimes dorsally, there can be a light coloured scale band at the meeting of abdomen and thorax, with lighter bases to the hind wings and light coloured tergites I and II. Sternite VIII (S8) (Fig. 4d) Anterior margin continuously rounded with deep central concavity. Posterior margin shallow convex with flattened central portion. Posterior corners sharply pointed.
Genitalia: (Figs 4 a–c). Arms of vinculum concave laterally. Meet producing a broad base. Saccus deep, slightly concave sides, bell shaped, posterior margin of ventral face, flat with central raised mesa like lobe. Posterior margin of dorsal face broad shallow “V” shape. Distal twin tergal processes short and stubby, very broad, roundly obtuse ends. Pseudoteguminal lobes, with disto-posterior process set forward, extended flattish posterior. Dorso-posterior margin almost straight. Posterior corner short, broad based, pointed. Disto-posterior margin strongly concave ending steeply in the disto-posterior process, the latter acuminate, rear margin steep, anterior margin slightly convex, tip roundly obtuse. Ventro-posterior margin convex, but at pseudoteguminal arms distinctly concave. Arms beak like, approximately parallel for most of length, tip pointed. Ventro-dorso margin concave. Valva, basal sacculus relatively large (2.5 mm by 1 mm), distal processes (harpe) relatively thin (1.2 mm by 0.6 mm.), setose.
Female. Unknown.
Distribution and Biology:
Recorded Localities: (Figs 11, 12 c–d) About 12 kms east of Ceduna; 30 kms ENE of Swan Reach; and Yurgo, SA, as well as a specimen from near Walpeup, Victoria. These four locations are along a line 850 km in length. Whether we are looking at two or more isolated populations, brought about by development and land clearance or a single population not fully sampled is uncertain.
Flight times: Most probably highly dependent on rainfall. These moths were collected 23 rd April to 19 th May.
Larval biology: Unknown.
Etymology:
An eponym honouring the extensive collecting work done by, and for the support and friendship given by Nick Temby to my work in this Family, and for his collection of the first specimens.
Remarks:
See above for intra-cladal differences and for comparison to A. cephalocorvus sp. nov. In Fig. 1, A. tembyi sp. nov. is most similar to A. pallida, which is not surprising given their morphological similarities (see below).
In appearance A. tembyi sp. nov. differs from A. kristenseni by the former having a dark brown forewing broadly covered in very fine grey scaled scrolling lines and dark brown/grey hindwing whereas A. kristenseni has a mid-brown forewing with large white and more distinctive scrolling lines and shapes in the apical and terminal areas of the wing. The hindwing is a light, yellow-brown giving the moth a distinct two-tone colouration. The genitalia differ in many ways but most particularly in the shape of the pseudoteguminal lobe. Abantiades tembyi sp. nov. has a rather irregularly linear dorso-posterior margin, an angled dorso-posterior corner, and a long deeply concave disto-posterior margin that produces an acuminate disto-posterior process. Abantiades kristenseni on the other hand has virtually no dorso-posterior margin, a large well rounded dorso-posterior corner and a gentler concave distoposterior margin that produces a broad smooth rounded disto-posterior process. The twin processes differ markedly too, A. kristenseni having cylindrical twin processes with slightly clubbed ends, where A. tembyi sp. nov. has broad, flat, processes with blunt ends.
To differentiate A. tembyi sp. nov. (Fig. 2b) from A. pallida (Fig. 8a), sternite VIII and genitalia must be examined (see Figs 4 a–d, 5a–d). Some differences can be seen without dissection. The disto-posterior margin on the pseudoteguminal lobe of A. tembyi sp. nov. is a long deep concavity producing a steep verticality towards the apex, resulting in the disto-posterior process being triangular with a long flat posterior margin. The same margin in A. pallida is much less concave resulting in a less steep posterior margin, producing a disto-posterior process that is rounded and near hemispherical in A. pallida and a short curved posterior margin. The twin processes are also quite different. In A. tembyi sp. nov., they are short, failing to make the dorso-posterior corner, broad and round topped, in A. pallida whilst they are broad based, they are longer, easily make the dorso-posterior corner and are conical and pointed. The apodemal aspect of the vincular arms differs in the two species. In A. tembyi sp. nov. they are slender and more erect resulting in a narrow genital structure and a bell shaped saccus but in A. pallida the arms are more massive and more concave, producing a much broader genital structure and a different shaped saccus (Figs 4c and 5c). Sternite VIII is different in the two species too. Abantiades tembyi sp. nov. has inwardly curved sides and an anterior margin with a deep central concavity, in A. pallida the structure has stepped sides and flattish anterior and posterior margins.
The first specimen of A. tembyi sp. nov. to have its DNA sequenced was collected at Ceduna in SA, and although suspected to be of the A. pallida group, Simonsen et al. (2019) discovered that its DNA was notably different from A. pallida specimens from Western Australia and they did not list the specimen as an example of that species.
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 80-83, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4822.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4401266