Syntomostola harrisoni, 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 : 3-4

Syntomostola harrisoni sp. n.

ZooBank:https://zoobank.org/ 3F94B251-C8F8-4D99-AD21-F85170B7915F

The first contact with this species occurred in 2009 during a visit to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.A single male specimen was found in a drawer of specimens awaiting study. Since that, no other specimen was found until a first picture received from Panama (see Fig. 6). Finally several male and female specimens were received and this species is in fact a Syntomostola close to S. xanthosoma Dognin, 1912 but clearly undescribed. The species will be described as new below under the name Syntomostola harrisoni sp. n.

Holotype, ♂, PANAMA, Panama, Los Altos de Cerro Azul, 14-XI-2023, 700 m, 9.2030° N 79.4150° W, L. & J. Harrison leg., dissected Gen. ML3959 (light-blue manuscript name). Will be deposited in MNHN.

Paratypes (4 ♀), same data as holotype but 08-IX-2020, 05-I-2021, 24-II-2021 and 27-VI-2021. In MLC.

Diagnosis. – The colour pattern is characteristic and unique. The forewings are bright yellow to orange-yellow basally and then pure black up to the apex. There is a large transparent postmedian transverse band from costa near to tornus, with black veins and a triangular transparent area in cell. The whole body is bright yellow to orange-yellow except the head which is black. The legs are black with yellow forecoxae.

Male ( Fig. 7)

FWL = 14 mm. Antennae thin and long, black and ciliate. Head and palpi entirely black. Proboscis brown. Collar, patagia, tegulae, thorax and abdomen entirely yellow or orange-yellow. Forewings elongated, yellow or orange-yellow basally, then black up to the apex. A large transverse band from costa to near tornus, transparent crossed by black veins. A triangular transparent area on cell crossed by a black vein. Costa black except base which is yellow. Hindwings semi-oval, elongated vertically, the basal two-thirds yellow, the outer third black with an irregular internal border. Underside identical to upperside. The forecoxae hairy and yellow, the legs black. Abdomen underside yellow.

Genitalia male ( Fig. 8)

Genitalia slightly asymmetrical, the majority of the genital capsule is covered with thin and short hairs. Uncus in frontal view as a very narrow oval, with a dorsal process shaped as a short blade. On the tegumen, above uncus and on each side a digitate process pointing frontally with a rounded tip. Valvae outreaching the uncus and processes, narrow with a rounded extremity. Near base a strong sclerotized torn. Juxta bulbous. Vinculum evenly rounded with a very narrow pointed saccus turn to left in ventral view. Aedeagus cylindrical, bent at 90° in the last half. A short caecum penis is present. Vesica with a unique tubular and scobinate lobe turned at 180° and terminated by a long and narrow tube.

Female ( Fig. 9)

FWL = 14-15 mm. Similar to male with rounder forewings. Hindwings are not elongated vertically. The forewing costa is more yellow basally. On the hindwings the black border is wider and the yellow colour is restrained to the base of the wings.

Etymology. – By reference to Linda and Jerry Harrison who provided the totality of the type series.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Distribution. – Presently known only from Panama at low to mid-altitudes.

Except the present species, the genus Syntomostola contains two more species: S. xanthosoma Dognin, 1912 described from Colombia, Medina (holotype ♂ in USNM) and S. semiflava Dognin, 1923 described from High Amazon, Brazil (holotype ♂ in USNM). The two types were dissected by Watson in 1971 (plate 138) and the two dissections appear similar but in the absence of any specimen of S. semiflava we maintain the status quo. A specimen from Cundinamarca, Colombia (Amazonian foothills at 500 m) was sequenced and its sequence (reference MILA2332) aligns with several species of Trichromia or Haemanota , so confirming it belongs to the Phaegopterina subtribe. It is interesting to note that Draudt in Seitz described in 1915 a female of the same species in the Ctenuchina subtribe under the name Xantharete stellans . The type locality, Colombia, Rio Negro is coherent with the sequenced specimen. So we will have Syntomostola xanthosoma Dognin, 1912 = Xantharete stellans Draudt, 1915 , syn. nov. Moreover as Xantharete is a monospecific genus we will have also Syntomostola Dognin, 1912 = Xantharete Draudt, 1915 syn. nov.