| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2022 |
| Authors: | U. Paukstadt, van Schayck E. |
| Volume: | 20 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Start Page: | 124 |
| Pagination: | 124-139 |
| Date Published: | 05/2022 |
| ISSN: | 1612-2674 |
| Keywords: | ANTHERAEA, BARCODING, CATALOGUE, COI, DNA, LAOS, MALE GENITALIA, NEIGHBOR-JOINING, SATURNIIDAE, THAILAND, VENATION |
| Abstract: | "A new wild silkmoth (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from the Thai Highlands and Laos is described herein: Antheraea (Antheraea) siriae sp. nov. from the mountainous natural region in the north of Thailand and from Laos. The mountain ranges are part of a system of hills extending through Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and China and are linking to the Himalayas. So they may be considered foothills of the Himalaya. This new species belongs to the larissa-complex (sensu Paukstadt & Paukstadt 2018) of the larissa-subgroup (sensu Brechlin 2014) of the subgenus Antheraea HÜBNER, 1819 [“1816”] of the genus Antheraea HÜBNER, 1819 (“1816”). DNA barcoding within the BOLD project (Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada) confirms clear geographical clusters of the following taxa in the larissa-subgroup: Antheraea (Antheraea) larissa larissa (WESTWOOD, 1847) from Java and southeastern Borneo, A. (A.) larissa ridlyi MOORE, 1892 from Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula with its junior subjective synonym A. (A.) delegata SWINHOE, 1893 from Singapore, A. (A.) larissa palawarissa BRECHLIN, 2014 from Palawan, and A. (A.) siriae sp. nov. from northern Thailand and Laos. A. (A.) larissa was reported from Sundaland but the new locations in Thailand and Laos are far off the so far known distribution range. The female and the early stages of A. (A.) siriae sp. nov. remain unknown. We decided to describe the new taxon of the larissa-subgroup in species rank because the boundaries of the range of siriae sp. nov. are still unknown and may overlap the range of A. (A.) larissa ridlyi at the Isthmus of Kra or further north. The habitus, pattern and color morphology of A. (A.) siriae sp. nov. are almost similar as in other taxa of this complex but gouping in the BOLD TaxonID Tree, the male genitalia structures, and the venation in the forewings are different. The male holotype of A. (A.) siriae sp. nov. is figured in color dorsally and ventrally, as well as its male genitalia structures which are compared to other taxa in the larissa-subgroup, the wing venation of one of the paratypes, and the appropriate part of the BOLD TaxonID Tree are illustrated. An overview on the taxa of the larissa-subgroup is presented herein." |