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Walkeriella miraculosa Mielke, Grehan & Grados 2019

DISCOVERY NAMED IN HONOR TO FRANCIS WALKER - "Walkeriella miraculosa"

The species name miraculosa is a feminine Latin noun in singular nominative meaning wonderful. This discovery that occurred in Refugio Amazonas is of the utmost importance since it is not just a new species but a new genus for science. This species is not a tiger moth (Arctiinae) but is a primitive family of Lepidoptera, butterflies. The participation of the Wired Amazon team was very helpful for this discovery: Daniel Couceiro, Juan Diego Shoobridge, Nicole Abanto, Maria Alejandra Castro and Adela Indirago.

This new genus is named for Francis Walker, a British entomologist, who described some Neotropical Hepialidae species in the 19th century. The name follows the tradition of Druceiella, Dugdaleiella Grehan & C. Mielke, Hampsoniella, Kozloviella Grehan & C. Mielke, and Pfitzneriella Viette. The gender of the name is feminine.

SPECIMEN DETAILS

  • Sex: Male
  • Reproduction: Sexual
  • Life Stage: Adult
  • Wingspan 32mm
  • Length 14mm

miraculosaCOLLECTION DETAILS

  • Collectors: Juan Grados
  • Habitat: Lowland rainforest
  • Sampling Protocol: Light trap
  • Elevation: 225 m

GEOGRAPHY

  • Country: Peru
  • Province/State: Madre de Dios
  • Region/County: Tambopata
  • Sector: Condenado
  • Exact Site: Albergue Refugio Amazonas
  • Lat/Lon: -12.875, -69.4097

TAXONOMY

  • Identifier Juan Grados
  • Identification Method: Morphology
  • Identifier Institution: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Museo de Historia Natural
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Lepidoptera
  • Family: Hepialoidea
  • Genus: Walkeriella
  • Species: Walkeriella miraculosa

Read the full article on Researchgate