Zaphanta elephanta St Laurent & Giusti 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: St Laurent, Ryan A.
name: Giusti, Alessandro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Mimallonidae
Zaphanta
Zaphanta elephanta

description: Zaphanta elephanta sp. nov.
(Figures 11, 12, 30, 39, 42) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6A57E1CC-D3E5-4E45-8C82-7006295ADF1F
Diagnosis
Zaphanta elephanta is one of the largest Zaphanta species. Although most Zaphanta are quite similar in external appearance, Z. elephanta displays darker, more reddish colouration than any congeners (except Z. elephanticula sp. nov. below), particularly evident in the male holotype. This darker colouration is also present on the head, ventrally on the thorax and on the legs in the male, such that the entire body colouration is more red than yellow. The genitalia of both sexes of Z. elephanta are remarkably distinct from those of most other species of Zaphanta: Z. elephanta and Z. elephanticula sp. nov. are the only known Zaphanta with a pair of sharp, heavily sclerotised spines extending outward from the subuncal region. The general structure of the genitalia is similar when comparing Z. elephanta and Z. elephanticula sp. nov., but in the former the uncus is broader, and the costal valvae apodemes are more extended outward and covered in dense setae with a tusk-like projection (this tusk-like projection is absent in Z. elephanticula sp. nov.) basally that extends nearly the entire length of the relatively small, concave valvae. The inner margins of the valvae are mostly smooth and lack the dense tufts of setae present in Z. elephanticula sp. nov. The transtilla plate is narrow, reduced to a mesal band of sclerotisation below the tegumen in Z. elephanta, while this plate is narrower and Y-shaped in Z. elephanticula sp. nov. The phallus of Z. elephanta is distinctly bilobed dorsally, and substantially less strongly sclerotised along its apical ventral projection. The female genitalia are most distinct in the presence of a bilobed, seta-covered dorsal tergite of VIII.
Description
Male. Head: As for genus but darker red-brown rather than yellow; apical segment of labial palpus not darkly scaled. Thorax: As for genus, but slightly pinker overall, ventrally darker pink-red. Legs: As for genus but clothed in darker pink-red scales, darker scale rings at terminus of tibia less contrasting due to darker overall leg colouration. Fore wing dorsum: Fore wing length: 11 mm, wingspan: 19 mm, n = 1. As for genus, but margin more mesally pointed, colouration more suffused with pinkish red, especially antemedially. Fore wing ventrum: As for genus. Hind wing dorsum: As for genus, but margin more mesally pointed, colouration almost entirely suffused with pink-red. Hind wing ventrum: As for genus, antemedial line particularly well defined and straight. Abdomen: As for genus, but more robust overall, colouration slightly pink. Genitalia: (Figure 30) n = 1. Vinculum ovoid, somewhat rectangular dorsally at juncture with tegumen. Tegumen narrow, elongate, ventral margins parallel without converging mesally. Uncus triangular and heavily sclerotised apically, apex truncated and mesally indented. Subuncus projection forming a closed ring with lateral margins of tegumen, although mesally less heavily sclerotised except for very thickly sclerotised pair of distally convergent sharp points that project outward; uncus-tegumen complex narrower than vinculum, and nearly as long. Transtilla reduced to mesal sclerotised band below tegumen. Valvae rounded, smaller than vinculum, sacculus somewhat thickened, distally extended. Costal base of valvae (valva apodeme) extended and densely covered in elongate setae, sharp tusk-like processes extend from outward projection of costal valvae apodeme, tusk-like process spans nearly length of valva. Caecum of phallus equal in length to distal half of phallus, caecum phallus rounded. Phallus distally broadened, dorsally with paired lobes, ventral extension of phallus about as sclerotised as remainder of phallus; phallus smooth laterally.
Female. Head: As for male, but colouration lighter (light brown), apical segment of labial palpus covered in dark scales. Thorax: As for male. Legs: As for genus. Fore wing dorsum: Fore wing length: 11 mm, wingspan: 22 mm, n = 1. As for male but wings slightly broader overall, marginal area in particular darker and more uniformly purple, especially tornus. Fore wing ventrum: As for male, but antemedial shading and antemedial line less developed, purplish shading near tornus more pronounced, discal spot more pronounced. Hind wing dorsum: As for male but with more darkly defined antemedial and marginal areas. Hind wing ventrum: As for male, but antemedial line less straight. Abdomen: As for male, but colouration lighter. Genitalia: (Figure 39) n = 1. As for genus, but tergite VIII bilobed, both lobes covered in short setae, region of VIII tergite proximal to base of papillae anales covered in setae, anterior margin of tergite VIII rectangular; sternite VIII weakly sclerotised, poorly defined. Ostium bursae globular, bowl-like, more heavily sclerotised than surrounding VIII, width of sclerotised ostium region roughly half that of segment VIII. Ductus bursae narrow, corpus bursae not preserved in single examined female.
Type material
Holotype ♂. Brazil: Amazonas: Fonte Boa, Upp. Amazons, May 1906. (S.M. Klages)/530/ Rothschild Bequest BM 1939–1/ NHMUK010890530 /genitalia vial NHMUK010402347 / HOLOTYPE ♂ Zaphanta elephanta St Laurent and Giusti, 2019 /(NHMUK).
Paratype. 1 ♀, Brazil: Amazonas: Data as for holotype except: June 1906, NHMUK 010890531, genitalia vial NHMUK 010402348 (NHMUK). Paratype with label reading: ‘ PARATYPE ♀ Zaphanta elephanta St Laurent and Giusti, 2019 ’ [yellow label].
Distribution
Zaphanta elephanta is known only from the type locality in north-western Amazonas, Brazil.
Etymology
The first part of the specific epithet for this new species is derived from Elephas (Linnaeus), the generic name of Asiatic elephants, with the ending -anta added to rhyme with Zaphanta. The male genitalia, when viewed upside down, resemble the head of an Asian elephant, such that the elongate tegumen and uncus form the ‘trunk’, the small valvae the ‘ears’, and the basal valva apodeme projections the ‘tusks’.
Remarks
Zaphanta elephanta inhabits the same biome as numerous other Zaphanta species, the Amazon Rainforest, but is not known to be sympatric with any other congener. The two specimens of Z. elephanta were collected in May and June at one locality, Fonte Boa.
description: Published as part of St Laurent, Ryan A. & Giusti, Alessandro, 2019, Revision of Zaphanta Dyarı 1910 (Lepidoptera: Mimallonidae: Zaphantinae) ı with descriptions of nine new species, pp. 1209-1246 in Journal of Natural History 53 (19) on pages 1228-1230, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1634772, http://zenodo.org/record/3673463