More than Olceclostera bifenestrata: New species and morphology of immature stages of Olceclostera Butler, 1879 (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea, Apatelodidae)

Abstract

Apatelodidae is a family of Neotropical bombycoids that still needs to be studied in several aspects, as many groups of species have not yet undergone a careful systematic revision. On the other hand, recent studies showed that some species known to be widely distributed in fact form species complexes. Until now, Olceclostera bifenestrata Schaus, 1912, described from Costa Rica, supposedly has a wide distribution, reaching the south of Brazil. We reviewed specimens from South America identified as O. bifenestrata. Using morphological data and DNA barcodes, we discovered that South American specimens belong to four new species: Olceclostera jairana sp. nov., Olceclostera quilombola sp. nov., Olceclostera xeta sp. nov. and Olceclostera wayana sp. nov. The four species can be distinguished mainly by characters of genitalia, mostly in aedeagus structures. However, wing characters (number of hyaline spots) and abdomen characters (number of patches of larger scales) may be useful for classifying species groups in Olceclostera. Additionally, we illustrate and describe for the first time all the life stages of an Olceclostera species, including its chaetotaxy and life history, and provide the first SEM images of the egg of an Apatelodidae species. We present a discussion about the morphological characters of adults and immatures and their relevance to the systematics of Apatelodidae.