Melanastera atlantica, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

52 Melanastera atlantica sp. nov.

( Figs 1E View FIGURE 1 , 13A View FIGURE 13 , 19G View FIGURE 19 , 33T–Y View FIGURE 33 )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: RIO DE JANEIRO: Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Cachoeira Maromba , S22.4297, W44.6199, 1100 m, 17‒18.iv.2019, Miconia cf. petropolitana (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #335(5) ( UFPR; dry). GoogleMaps

Paratypes. Brazil: PARANÁ: 2 ♀, 2 immatures, Antonina, Usina Parigot de Souza , S25.2438, W48.7511, 30 m, 17‒20.vii.2017, Guatteria australis (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #248(9) ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007736, NMB-PSYLL0007780, NMB-PSYLL0007781, NMB-PSYLL0007737 [LSMelatl-35]) GoogleMaps .— RIO DE JANEIRO: 8 ♂, 18 ♀, same as holotype but ( MMBC, NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007737, NMB-PSYLL0007675–NMB-PSYLL0007677, NMB-PSYLL0007678 [LSMelatl-35]) ; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, 1 immature, 2 skins, same but Travessia Ruy Braga , S22.4322, W44.6251, 1200 m, 18.iv.2019, Miconia cinnamomifolia (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #336(8) ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007738, NMB-PSYLL0007785, NMB-PSYLL0008117 [LSMelatl-35]) GoogleMaps .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Sexually dimorphic. Male orange. Antennal segments 3–9 apically, segment 10 entirely dark brown. Forewing ( Fig. 19G View FIGURE 19 ) yellow, sometimes with sparse, irregular, brown dots; base and apex of pterostigma and apices of vens Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Pro- and mesofemora with brown transverse subapical band. Female as male but with dark brown dots on head and thorax; dark dots very dense on head and pronotum. Mesopraescutum with orange to brown patches at fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad and one narrow median orange longitudinal stripes, margined by dark brown dots. Femora with dark brown patches. Abdominal sternites dark brown; terminalia brown.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 19G View FIGURE 19 ) oval, broadest in the middle, broadly rounded apically; wing apex situated at apex of M 1+2 or nearby in cell r 2; C+Sc weakly curved in distal third; pterostigma about as wide as r 1 cell in the middle, widening to apical third; Rs irregularly convex; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending at M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons of a double row of spinules, spinules absent or sparse in basal half of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 4 + 3–4 grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 7–9 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3–4 + 4–5, anteriorly separated by 2 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 33T–Y View FIGURE 33 ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with long setae. Subgenital plate subglobular; distal margin strongly curved; posterior margin convex; with dense, long setae mostly posteriorly. Paramere, in lateral view, lanceolate; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed upwards, in dorsal view, apex blunt, directed upwards and inwards, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with longer setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus in basal half almost straight, dorsal margin weakly sinuate; ventral process situated slightly distal of the middle of segment, in lateral view, short and broad, tubular, rounded apically; in dorsal view, ventral process relatively narrow, only slightly broader than apical dilation, widening to apical third, with a short median lobe; apical dilation, in lateral view, relatively broad, hardly widening to broadly rounded apex, with an angular membranous lobe at base dorsally; in dorsal view, apical dilation oblong-oval, with rounded apex; sclerotised end tube moderately long and weakly curved.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, slightly concave in apical third, apex pointed; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Pale yellow; cephalothoracic sclerite, antenna, wing pads, legs and caudal plate brown.

Structure. Eye with one short simple ocular seta dorsally.Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with 4–5 marginal and 0–1 dorsal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with 2 marginal pointed sectasetae. Tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, slightly longer than claws. Abdomen with one lateral pointed sectaseta on either side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with three pointed sectasetae on either side laterally, and three pointed sectasetae subapically, on either side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of moderate oval patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Miconia cinnamomifolia (DC.) Naudin ( Melastomataceae ); adults were also collected on Miconia cf. petropolitana Cogn. which is a possible host. According to the field notes, the sample DB-DLQ#248(9) was collected on Guatteria australis A.St. -Hil. ( Annonaceae ) which is most probably erroneous (D. Burckhardt, unpublished data). Immatures develop in leaf axils and produce flocculent waxy secretions. Nearby the adults lay eggs on the stems ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ).

Distribution. Brazil (PR, RJ).

Derivation of name. Named after the habitat of the species, the Atlantic Forest.

Comments. Within the duckei -group, Melanastera atlantica sp. nov. shares with M. truncata sp. nov. the lanceolate paramere. The two species differ in the details of the male and female terminalia.