Pseudalus panamensis, Laguerre, 2025

Laguerre, Michel, 2025, New species of Arctiinae east of the Canal Zone, Panama (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini), Faunitaxys 13 (12), pp. 1-17 : 7-9

Pseudalus panamensis sp. n.

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ FD45E11F-4AB3-4FEC-8EEB-55D0412A2545

In the material received, there was a series of a small yellow Pseudalus of the leos / affinis group. The genus Pseudalus Schaus, 1896 , contains now eight species and one subspecies and is largely neglected presently. The specimens collected in Panama have an external appearance similar to the type of P.affinis Rothschild, 1933 (NHMUK) and a specimen collected in the Cerro Hoya National Park was sequenced. Only 17 Pseudalus sequences were found in BOLD and the resulting Maximum Likelihood tree is shown below ( Fig. 14). It then appears that the Pseudalus from Panama aligns at 7.3 % from Pseudalus leos occidentalis Rothschild, 1909 , from Peru (Cusco) and at 10.9 % from two specimens of Pseudalus affinis , from French Guiana. So clearly the Panama specimens represent a totally different species despite very similar habitus and they will be described as new below under the name Pseudalus panamensis sp. nov.

Holotype, ♂, PANAMA, Panama, Los Altos de Cerro Azul , 05-XII-2021, 700 m, 9.2030°N 79.4150°W, L. & J. Harrison leg., dissected Gen. ML3879 (light-blue manuscript label). Will be deposited in MNHN.

Paratypes (2 ♂), same data as holotype but 04 and 05-XII-2021. In MLC .

Diagnosis. – A small yellow moth with two reddish-brown transverse lines on forewings, one weak and antemedian, the second postmedian not reaching exactly the apex and a tiny dot at the end of the cell.

Male ( Fig. 15)

FWL = 11-12 mm. Antennae short and ciliate, dark yellow. Head, frons and vertex yellowish orange. Palpi brownish orange. Collar, patagia, tegulae, thorax and abdomen upperside yellowish. A vertical orange streak on thorax. Forewings yellow with two transverse reddish brown lines. The first one weak in antemedian position, the second postmedian, clear-cut, from middle of internal border to near apex. A tiny brownish-red dot at the end of cell. Hindwings plain yellow. Underside identical to upperside. The two transverse lines are indistinct, the first one generally absent, the second blurred and faded, the cell dot visible. Forecoxae, legs and abdomen underside brownish yellow.

Genitalia male ( Fig. 16)

Extremely similar to the genitalia of Pseudalus affinis from French Guiana (see Fig. 17 below). Genital capsule very elongated vertically. Uncus large and hemispherical, slightly tightened at base, then narrow and compressed laterally, strongly hooked at tip. On the tegumen, above uncus and on each side, a short digitate process pointing frontally. Valvae just reaching the tip of uncus, subrectangular at base then narrowed and finishing as a blunt and thin blade. Juxta rhomboid. Vinculum evenly rounded with a triangular pointed saccus. Aedeagus narrow and cylindrical slightly curved toward extremity. A short caecum penis present. Vesica bilobed.A first lobe at 90°, short with a strongly scobinate and denticulate tip. A second lobe longer at 180° with a scobinate extremity bent toward the aedeagus. Just before this extremity a small digitate diverticule adorned with small teeth.

Etymology. – By reference to the locality of the type series.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Distribution. – Presently only known from Panama around the Canal Zone.

It is rather surprising to notice that the genus Pseudalus is presently classified within the sub-tribe Arctiina, whereas in a general tree of more than 15,000 Neotropical Arctiinae sequences, the genus is a close neighbour of the genus Neidalia Hampson, 1901 , classified at the beginning of the sub-tribe Phaegopterina . The two genera align also close to Hyperthaema Schaus, 1901 , Rhodorhipha Laguerre, 2018 or some Zatrephes Hübner, [1819] . So clearly Pseudalus is a member of the subtribe Phaegopterina , so we will have Pseudalus comb. nov. Phaegopterina . Moreover in this tree the genus Neidalia seems polyphyletic and is split into two clusters by the genus Pseudalus , but this problem is outside the scope of this paper and will be treated elsewhere.