Melanastera cannabinae Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt 2025

59 Melanastera cannabinae sp. nov. (Figs 13H, 20D, 35M–R) Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: AMAZONAS: Iranduba, Olaria Montemar, S3.1400, W60.3583, 40 m, 15.iv.2014, Miconia cannabina (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #126(3) (UFPR; dry). Paratypes. Brazil: AMAZONAS: 14 ♂, 21♀, 17 immatures, same as holotype but (NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007801, NMB-PSYLL0007984, NMB-PSYLL0007985, NMB-PSYLL0007831 [LSMelcan-3], NMB-PSYLL0007832 [LSMelcan-3], NMB-PSYLL0007833, NMB-PSYLL0007834, NMB-PSYLL0007835, NMB-PSYLL0007836 [LSMelcan-3], NMB-PSYLL0007837). Material not included in type series. Trinidad and Tobago: TRINIDAD: 1 ♂, 2 adults, North Coast Road, 6.iii.1988 (D. Hollis) # M40 (BMNH; dry, slide; [LSMeltrin-sp2]); 2 ♂, 2 ♀, 12 km SW Point Fortin, 9.iii.1989 (D. Hollis) # M46 (BMNH; dry). Description. Adult. Coloration. Yellow; Head and thorax with several scattered dark brown dots. Antenna yellow, apices of segents 4, 6–7 and entire segments 8–10 brown. Mesoscutum with four longitudinal orange bands. Forewing (Fig. 20D) yellow with sparse, irregular brown dots slightly denser distal of nodal line; base and apex of pterostigma and apices of Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b brown, sometimes indistinct. Femora with light brown patches. Structure. Forewing (Fig. 20D) oval, broadest in the middle, broadly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc slightly convex in distal third; pterostigma narrower in the middle than r 1 cell, widening to apical third; Rs almost straight in basal two thirds, weakly curved to fore margin apically; Cu 1a weakly convex, ending at M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons mostly of a single (male) or a double (female) row of spinules, spinules absent from base of cell c+sc. Hindwing often with distinctly grouped costal setae (as 4–5 + 3–4). Metatibia bearing 9–10 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 4 + (5–6), anteriorly separated by 2 or more bristles. Terminalia (Fig. 35M–R). Male. Proctiger distinctly produced posteriorly in basal third; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin weakly curved; posterior margin weakly convex; with moderately long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly lanceolate; apex, in lateral view, directed obliquely anteriad, blunt apically, in dorsal view, apex blunt, directed upwards, slightly inwards and anteriad, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin also with moderately long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part broad, strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus thick in basal half, with sinuate dorsal margin; ventral process situated in the middle, in lateral view, ovoid, with large tubular apical lobe directed ventrad, in dorsal view, the ovoid part much broader than apical dilation, broadest medially; apical dilation narrow, in lateral view, subparallel-sided, hardly widening to rounded apex, dorsal margin weakly sinuate subapically, in dorsal view, apical dilation broadest medially, gradually narrowing in apical half to rounded apex; sclerotised end tube moderately long, almost straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, hardly convex distal to circumanal ring, weakly concave in apical third, apex pointed, straight; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, abruptly narrowing in apical third, apex pointed; in ventral view, apex blunt. Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Entirely pale to bright yellow. Structure.Eye with one short ocular seta dorsally.Antennal segment 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 five marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal sectasetae. Tarsal arolium broadly triangular apically, slightly longer than claws. Abdomen with one lateral pointed sectasetae on either side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with four 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 small oval patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small. Host plant. Miconia cannabina Markgr. (Melastomataceae). Distribution. Brazil (AM), Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad). Derivation of name. Named after its host, Miconia cannabina. Comments. Melanastera cannabinae sp. nov. differs from the other species of the smithi -group as indicated in the keys (see also comments under M. cinerascentis sp. nov.). The uncorrected p-distance between the samples DB-DLQ#126 (3) from Brazil and DH# M40 from Trinidad is 1.69% for COI. As the specimens from the two samples do not display morphological differences, they are considered conspecific, but the specimens from Trinidad are not included in the type series.