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| Gamelia bennetti Cock & Rougerie, 2021 |
Abstract
Gamelia bennetti sp. nov. is described from Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, and compared with members of the Gamelia abas species group: G. abas (Cramer, [1775]), G. berliozi Lemaire, 1967, G. lichyi Lemaire, 1973, G. rubriluna (Walker, 1862) and G. septentrionalis (Bouvier, 1936). A photographic record suggests G. bennetti sp. nov. may also occur in Tobago.
Keywords: Lepidoptera, Hemileucinae, Neotropical Region, taxonomy, DNA barcoding
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| Figure 4. Left, putative living Gamelia bennetti sp. nov. female, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, East of Cunaripa, Bedes Buxoo Trace, by night, 30 May 2020, R. Deo [iNaturalist observation 48063102]. © R. Deo, with permission. Right, a possible living G. bennetti sp. nov. female, Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago, near Speyside, +11.301, -60.534, at light, 29 November 2014, P. Davis. © P. Davis, with permission. |
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| Living Gamelia bennetti sp. nov., Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, Bush Bush, 18 October 2014, K. Sookdeo. © K. Sookdeo, with permission. |
Gamelia bennetti Cock and Rougerie sp. nov.
Diagnosis. There are several similar Gamelia species from the Amazon-Guiana-Venezuela area with which this species can be confused, including G. abas, G. rubriluna (Walker, 1862), G. lichyi Lemaire, 1973 and G. berliozi Lemaire, 1967. Given the variability noted between the holotype, paratype and female photo of G. bennetti sp. nov., it is not really possible to point to reliable diagnostic characters of wing markings. The male genitalia are very similar to species in the Gamelia abas group (Lemaire 2002), particularly G. rubriluna and G. lichyi, and to a lesser extent G. septentrionalis (Bouvier, 1936) and G. berliozi (Lemaire 2002, Brechlin & Meister 2012), so we consider G. bennetti sp. nov. to be an additional species of the Gamelia abas group. The genital structure (Fig. 3 A, D) is more elongate than that of G. rubriluna, but less so than in the other three species. The saccus (Fig. 3 D–F) is longer than that of G. rubriluna, but shorter than that of G. lichyi. The long slender lobes of the succus (‘lobes of the vinculum’ in Lemaire (2002)) curl back over the saccus before arching back to emerge under the uncus; it is difficult to compare this curvature with the other species of the group as Lemaire only provides ventral views, and images in Brechlin & Meister (2012) are from microscope slides, whereas lateral or partial lateral views (Fig. 3 F–I) are needed to observe this character. The saccus lobes of G. rubriluna and G. lichyi joined in their basal half (see figures in Lemaire (2002) and Brechlin & Meister (2012)), but are completely separate throughout in G. bennetti sp. nov. The aedeagus of G. bennetti sp. nov. has a ventral spike (Fig. 3 N) as do G. rubriluna and G. lichyi, but not G. septentrionalis and G. berliozi (Lemaire 2002). The aedeagus caecum in G. bennetti sp. nov. is a quadrate flange with the distal margin concave (Fig. 3 L–N), whereas this flange is basally rounded in G. lichyi, G. rubriluna and G. berliozi and the distal margin is concave in G. lichyi, but straight or rounded in G. rubriluna and G. berliozi (Lemaire 2002; Brechlin & Meister 2012). The sternite of abdominal segment 8 (A8) (Fig. 3 J) resembles that of G. rubriluna. The tergite of abdominal segment 7 (A7) (Fig. 3 K) resembles that of G. lichyi, and does not have the bottleneck shape of G. rubriluna. At this time, G. bennetti sp. nov. is the only species of the genus Gamelia known from Trinidad, and is only known from the eastern part of the island of Trinidad and perhaps eastern Tobago (see Distribution paragraph). Hence location will give a good pointer as to its identity, although there is no reason to think G. bennetti sp. nov. will not be found to occur more widely in Trinidad or on the mainland in north-eastern Venezuela and/or Guyana. It is therefore fortunate that both the male genitalia and the DNA barcodes can be reliably used to separate G. bennetti sp. nov. from other Gamelia species.
Etymology. This species is named with thanks and appreciation after Dr Fred D. Bennett (Frank 2019), who
was director of the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control (now integrated within CABI) in Trinidad, during
the five years that the first author was based there. Fred’s support, encouragement and help with the study the insects
of Trinidad has contributed to the first author’s subsequent four decades long interest in the Lepidoptera of Trinidad
and Tobago.
Matthew J.W. Cock and Rodolphe Rougerie. 2021. Gamelia bennetti sp. nov., A New Saturniidae Species from Trinidad and Tobago (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea). Zootaxa. 4942(3); 339–350. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4942.3.2
