Dianesia serpentinicola Núñez, Álvarez & Espeland, sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 081C1514-85C9-4332-B711-54AA5A9D9D8C

Figs. 2U–X, 4J–L, 6Q–R, 7S–U, 8, 9E, 10H

Diagnosis. Dianesia serpentinicola sp. nov. most resembles D. abscondita sp. nov. and D. galindoensis, from which it can be separated by its smaller size in males in the case of the former (FW length 12,6–13,7 mm, n = 5 in D. serpentinicola vs. 14,2–14,8 mm, n = 6, in D. abscondita) and larger size in both sexes in the case of the latter (FW length ♂ 12,6–13,7 mm, n = 5, ♀ 13,0–14,8, n = 3, in D. serpentinicola vs. ♂ 13,0– 13,9 mm, n = 11, ♀ 12,6–13,5 mm, n = 5 in D. galindoensis); UP color light gray-brown; UP base strongly tinted in pale orange; UPFW white band with four first spots well-marked, the fourth one as broad as the others; UN with basal area darker and contrasting; UNHW with a well-marked light area near costa between the black bands of the discal cell; male genitalia with sorter tegumen and valvae; female genitalia with signa with very blunt tips. From the other species of the genus, it can be separated by the combination of dark grey-brown UP background color, reduced submarginal orange band and poorly developed FW postdiscal white band.

Description. Eyes naked, green in life. Antennal socket orange; antennae slender, 36–38 alternate blackish and white antennomers, club blackish with white tip. Head, thorax and abdomen grey-brown, the thorax with scattered light orange pubescence and the abdomen with light orange segment junctions. FW length ♂ 12,6–13,7 mm, ♀ 13,0– 14,8mm. Male UPFW grey-brown, base pale orange and with two dark brown concentric, discontinuous bands extending basally and discally, respectively, from the discal cell to 2A; a third incomplete band of the same color edging the discal cell, and a very small spot of the same color on the bifurcation of Cu 1 and Cu 2, absent sometimes. A thin dark brown postdiscal line extending sinuously from costa to Cu 1 and then straight to inner margin, externally edged by a white band consisting of six spots, the two between R 2 –R 3 and R 3 –M 1 thinner and well-defined, the two between M 1 –M 2 and M 2 –M 3 broader and more diffuse, and the two between M 3 –Cu 1 and Cu 1 –Cu 2 smaller, broader and more diffuse. A poorly developed submarginal curved broad orange band, edged by diffuse blackish areas, interrupted by veins; an elliptical black ocellus on the anal angle, internally edged by the orange band. UPHW with similar pattern, but with basal orange color slightly more developed, broader and more sinuous postdiscal brown line and submarginal orange band, the latter with more defined and broader black edging, no postdiscal white band, and a larger, square ocellus in the anal angle, internally edged by yellow and with an external metallic blue pupil. UNFW similar but paler with no orange color, base darker, basal half whiter near inner angle and with the postdiscal white band much more defined and broader, extending towards inner angle; ocellus at anal angle with an external superior small pupil of blue scales, and internally edged by pale yellow scales. UNHW similar but paler with no orange color, base darker, basal and discal brown bands reduced, postdiscal brown band discontinuous. Genitalia with broad, square-shaped tegumen; uncus weakly lobed, each lobe with a small tooth-like protuberance; gnathi slender, smoothly curved upwards near tip; vinculum anteriorly concave, slender but broader near aedeagus; valvae medium-broad, simple, much shorter than tegumen, tip short and narrow, sclerotized but membranous near attachment to vinculum, dorsally attached to aedeagus by a weakly sclerotized peduncle; saccus short, lightly rounded; aedeagus elongate and thin, continued in a long, membranous duct (Fig. 6Q–R).

Female similar to male but with elongated, narrower wings with rounder outer margins; a much lighter, uniform color on the UP, extending beyond the postdiscal black line in both wings; and better developed postdiscal white band and marginal orange band, especially in the FW. Genitalia with ostium bursae compressed dorsoventrally, narrower towards the sclerotized antrum, lamella antevaginalis heavily sclerotized and spatulate, partially covering ostium bursae; lamella postvaginalis weakly sclerotized; ductus bursae narrow and membranous, punctate surface with several small, irregular folds; corpus bursae narrow, flattened dorsoventrally, surface uniformly punctate, with numerous folds around junction with ductus bursae; two mid-lateral heavily sclerotized long flat cylindrical signa with very blunt tips (Fig. 7S–U).

Type material. Holotype — ♂ CUBA, Holguín, Bahía del Naranjo, south of Playa Esmeralda, 21º06’N, 75º52’W, 14/V/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (YAC-0583). Paratypes — 10♂, 6♀. Same data as for holotype, YAC (1♀: YAC-0584); same locality, 18/VIII/2023, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers Y171, BE001, BE002, BE004, BE005, BE006, BE007, ZFMK (5♂, 1♀: Lep180901, Lep180902, Lep180904, Lep180905, Lep180906, Lep180907), YAC (1♀: YAC-0456); Ceja de Melones, Rafael Freyre, Holguín, 20º58’N, 76º03’W, 14/V/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers DC-46, DC-49, ZUEC (1♂: 14718), YAC (1♀: YAC-0580); Cuabal de La Palma, Rafael Freyre, Holguín, 20º57’N, 76º05’W, 11/II/2025, col. Y. Álvarez, YAC (4♂, 2♀: YAC-0725, YAC-0726, YAC-0727, YAC-0744, YAC-0750, YAC-0751).

Additional material. CUBA. Holguín: Rafael Freyre, Ceja de Melones, 20º58’N, 76º03’W, 14/V/2024, col. Y. Álvarez, DNA vouchers DC-47, DC-50, ZUEC (two larvae in ethanol).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the word “serpentine” and the suffix - cola, meaning “an inhabitant” and derived from the Latin verb “ colo ”, meaning to “inhabit or dwell”, as a reference to the restriction of this species to serpentine soils.

Distribution. Known only a few localities in the serpentine hills north of Holguín province, eastern Cuba, namely La Palma, Ceja de Melones, Cerro Galano, Playa Esmeralda (Bahía del Naranjo) and Boca de Samá. Apparently sympatric with Dianesia flammata sp. nov. in the latter localities (see Discussion) (Fig. 8).

Habitat. Dry serpentine scrub-woodland (Fig. 9E).

Biology. Habits and behavior of this species are similar to those of Dianesia galindoensis. It was observed visiting flowers of Croton glabellus (Euphorbiaceae) and Henoonia myrtifolia Griseb. (Solanaceae). Adults are on the wing year-round, although they are more common from May to August, and fly from the early morning until late afternoon; we have seen an activity peak between 16 and 19 h. Adults from the dry season (November–April) can show a reduction of the orange color on the UP.

Immature stages. Final instar (Fig. 10H): Head capsule orange, covered with numerous whitish setae. Prothoracic shield green yellow, with a lateral obliquus purplish line; covered by whitish setae and a pair of lateral black setae. Body yellow green dorsally, lighter green laterally, these colors intergrading in the first five segments and delimited by a lateral diffuse white band from the sixth to the tenth segments, yellowish near anal plate; ninth and tenth segments with dorsal purplish areas restricted to the outer half; segment junctions yellower; white band running mid-dorsally along the last five body segments; two dorsolateral white bands, broader and more marked in the first three segments, externally accompanied by small whitish dots on the first three segments and by a white and a black longitudinal spots on the ninth segment; a lateral small, compact black spot edged with white on the fourth and fifth segments; each segment with a lateral white spiracle opening and a tuft of long whitish setae. Males with yellow-orange testicles visible dorsally in the seventh segment. Anal plate yellow, with four longitudinal central purplish stripes, covered by numerous external long whitish setae.

Host plant. Buxus gonoclada subsp. gonoclada (Buxaceae) (Esnard et al. 2023).

Remarks. Esnard et al. (2023) described and illustrated the life cycle of this species, inadvertently also listing other species of Buxus as hosts that actually belong to D. ramsdeni. The species is likely more widespread in well-preserved scrub-woodland areas of the northern hills of Holguín, where large extensions of undisturbed habitat prevail.