First Identifications of Isanthrene melas (Lepidoptera; Erebidae) on Inaturalist.

Isanthrene melas was first described as Sphinx melas Cramer, 1775, that gave a plate of the species (https://archive.org/details/deuitlandschekap11779cram/page/n220/mode/1up?view=theater). Later, Hampson, 1898 transferred the species to genus Isanthrene (https://archive.org/details/catalogueoflepid01brituoft/page/173/mode/1up?view=theater). The species was previously known to Suriname, French Guiana and the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Pará, Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul (Ferro, 2007).

To improve the knowledge of the species distribution, I compared Inaturalist observations with Cramer illustration and BOLD Systems image (https://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1130525). The search was made in the brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Bahia, Tocantins, Maranhão, Pará, Amapá, Amazonas, Rondônia, Acre and Roraima; argentinian provinces of Misiones and Corrientes; and in the countries of Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Photos of adults previously identified at least in the subfamily Arctiinae was checked. "Research grade" observations was excluded of the search.

It was found 18 observations recognized as Isanthrene melas: 1 from Rio Grande do Sul, 2 from Paraná, 5 from Rio de Janeiro, 1 from Mato Grosso do Sul, 1 from Minas Gerais and 7 from Misiones.

Mostly of the observations was misidentified as Isanthrene incendiaria, a similar sympatric species that can be differentiated by the thorax and abdomen first segment lines and dots. No previous identifications of the species had been made at Inaturalist site before this search and it's the first known photos of living specimens of Isanthrene melas. This is the first evidence of this species to Mato Grosso do Sul and Missiones (first evidence for Argentina). The species has a wide distribution but is somewhat difficult to find.

Bibliography:

Ferro, Viviane Gianluppi. Diversidade de mariposas Arctiidae (Lepidoptera) do cerrado. 2007. Tese (doutorado) - Curso de ecologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, 2007.

Posted on October 7, 2023 10:47 PM by regisrafael