Amauta cacica
Creators: name: Worthy, Robert
name: González, Jorge M.
name: Zilli, Alberto
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Castniidae
Amauta
Amauta cacica

description: cacica (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854])
(Figs. 6D, E)
“ Castnia cacica H-S.” Herrich-Schäffer, [1854], Sammlung neuer oder wenig bekannter aussereuropäischer Schmetterlinge: wrapper, pl. [30], fig. 143 [1854]; 56, 79 [1858].
Type material: Boisduval ([1875]) states that he lent his material of Castniidae to Gottlieb August Wilhelm HerrichSchäffer (1799–1874) and it was on that material that most of Herrich-Schäffer’s list of 1854 was based. At the time there were two females of Amauta cacica in Jean Baptiste Boisduval’s (1799–1879) collection (Houlbert 1918), so these specimens are syntypes; both of these syntypes passed via Oberthür to NHMUK. The specimen illustrated on pl. [30], fig. 143 could be regarded as the holotype by monotypy, but as it was a stylised painting there is no way to tell which of the two syntypes it was. The Code also allows for any evidence, published or unpublished, to be taken into account to determine what specimens constitute the type series (Art. 72.4.1.1). We know from Boisduval ([1875]) that he lent his material to Herrich-Schäffer, and we know from Houlbert (1918) that there were two females, so it’s reasonable to regard both specimens as syntypes.
One of the syntypes has had a red label added which reads: LECTOTYPE / Castnia / cacica / Boisduval / designated by: / Jacqueline Y. Miller / 1977 (Fig. 6E). The lectotype designation appears not to have been published and we can see no legitimate reason for doing so, therefore both specimens remain syntypes, regardless of the label.
Type locality: Given by Herrich-Schäffer as “Mont. Columb.” = mountains of Colombia. However, Boisduval ([1875]) provides further information, stating that “Nous avons reçu cette rare espèce de Goudot ainé, qui a trouvé accouplés le mâle et la femelle sur les bords de la Magdalena, en Colombie”. So, he received the specimens from the French explorer and naturalist-collector Justin Goudot (1802–1850) who found them in copula on the banks of the River Magdalena in Colombia. As the specimens are both females, they clearly cannot have been found in copula but were probably captured resting or in some other activity close to each other, confusing the collector. The type locality is certainly the River Magdalena, Colombia.
Taxonomic status: A valid species of Amauta.
Male genitalia: (Fig. 4B) Uncus simple, almost quadrate, slightly produced ventrad and with posterior margin unbent. Socii fused with uncus. Gnathos sclerotised, bifid anteriad, and excavate and dentate posteriad. Cucullus and valvula quadrate, with ventral margin of valva oblique, with a somewhat recurved lobe ventrad. Sacculus projected and fused and continuous with saccus arms. Phallus moderately sclerotised, with similar diameter throughout its entire length; its distal section moderately curved, very slightly contorted, double the length of coecum. Phallus possesses a characteristic adornment at its terminal portion with membranous projections of the vesica.
Distribution: The species seems to be mostly confined to the Magdalena valley in Colombia. We have only seen reliable records from Boyacá department, we also know of records from Bogotá, Cauca and Valle del Cauca, but these localities seem doubtful (Fig. 13).
Discussion: The name Castnia cacica appeared for the first time printed on the wrappers for part 7 of the first series (moths) of the plates of the first volume of Herrich-Schäffer’s Sammlung neuer oder wenig bekannter aussereuropäischer Schmetterlinge, as the unnumbered plates bear no names, only numbers for the figures. Part 7 was published first [May 1854], whereas the relevant text (pp. 53–84) was published later [April 1858]. Häuser et al. (2003) provided rationale why the combination of plates and their wrappers make this and similarly coined names available from the dates of their issue and reviewed the complex publishing history and dating of Herrich-Schäffer’s Sammlung […] aussereuropäischer Schmetterlinge.
In recent works the taxa procera (Boisduval, [1875]) and angusta (H. Druce, 1907) have been treated as subspecies of A. cacica but dissection of the male genitalia proves them to be separate species.
Material examined: For this study, as well as the types, we have examined 30 males and 49 females from Colombia, mainly from the Magdalena Valley.
description: Published as part of Worthy, Robert, González, Jorge M. & Zilli, Alberto, 2022, A review of the genera Amauta Houlbert, 1918 and Divana J. Y. Miller, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Castniidae) with description of a new genus, pp. 301-342 in Zootaxa 5194 (3) on page 323, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5194.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7154442