A new species of sack-bearer moth (Lepidoptera, Mimallonidae) from Florida

A rarely reported new species of Mimallonidae from Florida, USA, is described. Remarkably, the distinctive new species has not been seen across much of its historical range since the 1960 s, and all records come from six somewhat isolated white sand Florida Scrub habitats, one of which is completely destroyed and most others clearly imperiled. DNA barcoding sequences from the disparate populations suggest notable genetic diversity in the few known populations, meaning extirpation of any of them could signal loss of critical population structure of an already narrowly endemic species.

Cicinnus albarenicolus St Laurent, sp. nov. is compared to the only other similar species in North America, C. melsheimeri (Harris in Doubleday), a common denizen of oak forests throughout the eastern United States, including Florida, southern Canada, and the Rocky Mountains. Until its distribution and life history are more well-understood, C. albarenicolus will remain an enigmatic taxon of major conservation concern.