Cloesia aereus Laguerre, 2023

Laguerre, Michel, Espinoza S., Bernardo A., Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2023, Revision of the genus Cloesia Hampson, 1900: description of five new species and recombination of two species (Noctuoidea Erebidae Arctiinae Lithosiini), Faunitaxys (New York, N. Y.) 11 (47), pp. 1-21 : 14

Cloesia aereus Laguerre sp. n.

BIN BOLD:AEB5696

ZooBank:http://zoobank.org/ 9683DCDC-6473-4C1A-8971-55BD0B94A920

Holotype, ♂, Espirito Santo, Reserva Augusto Ruschi, Rte Sta Teresa - Fundao , 15-XI- 2012, 814 m, 19.910968° S 40.533002° W, B. Vincent leg., dissected Gen. ML 2278 (white manuscript label). Will be deposited in MZSP.

Paratype , ♂, BRAZIL, Same data as holotype, sequenced Process ID ARCTD1435-19, BOLD ID MILA2344, (yellow printed label), in MLC .

Diagnosis. – A characteristic bronzy green species. The hindwings are lighter on the disk with a long and narrow androconial pouch filled with bronzy-green hairs. The male genitalia are characteristic especially the shape of the juxta and the presence of strong expansions on tegumen at the base of uncus. The female is unknown.

Male ( Fig. 19 a-b)

Forewing length: 13-14 mm. Antennae black, thin and ciliate. Head, tegulae and patagia black with a bluish green lustre. Thorax black with a golden green reflection. Palpi short, thin and black. Abdomen black with a strong dark bluish-green reflection, slightly bronzy toward extremity. Legs black with a bronzy reflection. Forewings black with a bronzy green strong reflection. Hindwings grey with a thin black border. A slight undulation of termen. The androconial pouch narrow and oval, fulfilled with dark bronzy-green hairs. Below four wings grey with a strong dark blue reflection on costa and apex on forewings and costa of hindwings. On hindwings the androconial pouch appears as a black elongated oval patch.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 20 a-d)

Uncus long and narrow, curved ventrally with a strong spine at tip,

slightly enlarged basally in ventral view. Strong expansions on tegumen shaped as a large horn in dorsal view and as a rounded paddle in lateral view. Valvae reaching the middle of uncus subrectangular in the basal half, then constricted and finally expanded in the terminal half, slightly bent inward, with a small indentation on tip in lateral view. A digitate expansion just before constriction pointing inward. Vinculum evenly curved with a small rounded saccus. Juxta reaching the constricted area of valvae, hour-glass shaped with a rounded and sclerotized extremity adorned with a strong vertical spine. Transtilla arms very short, hardly visible. Aedeagus short, bulbous at base, with a large vesica at 90°. The main lobe spiculate and with a patch of strong cornuti near end.

Female. –Unknown.

Etymology. – From the latin word aereus which means bronze or bronzy by reference to the general color of the forewings and of the androconial hairs.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Distribution. – Presently only known from Reserva Augusto Ruschi in Espirito Santo state, an area with a strongly endemic fauna.

Discussion. – The species is known from only two male specimens collected the same day but it appears that a second species of Cloesia is present in South-East Brazil. At least seven specimens (male and female) of an unknown species were collected by Maurizio Zenker in the costal area of Paraná state south of Curitiba at low altitudes (maximum 200 m). The nearest neighbour is Cloesia imitator at only 1.5 %, but unfortunately no specimen was available for study and the exact status of this entity is still pending.