Megalota jamaicana Brown, 2009
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2279.1.1 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5315430 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038E7928-FFD4-FF8A-FDB6-E19FFDD0FC81 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Megalota jamaicana Brown |
| status |
sp. nov. |
12. Megalota jamaicana Brown View in CoL , new species Figs. 12 View FIGURES 1–12 , 36 View FIGURES 34–36
Diagnosis. A single male from Jamaica has genitalia ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 34–36 ) that are mostly indistinguishable from those of M. delphinosema , but its phallus lacks the 120° bend at the middle and the associated long dorsal thorn characteristic of the latter species ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 34–36 ). In addition, the forewing pattern is relatively distinct ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 1–12 ): there is a pale creamy pink area of ground color between the basal and median subbasal fasciae that extends uninterrupted from the costa to the dorsum; the distal 0.6 of the wing is nearly uniformlyly brown; and the hindwing is pale gray, brown along the perimeter, unlike any other species in the genus.
Description. Head: Vertex copper and red brown, frons creamy white; labial palpus creamy white in basal portion, copper brown in distal portion. Thorax: Dorsum red-brown, metascutum with large copper tuft. Hind tibia in male with expanded silky white scaling concealing hairpencil. Forewing length 7.0 mm; basal patch red-brown in costal 0.5, confluent with dark brown triangular blotch at dorsum; a pale creamy pink submedian fascia extending from costa to dorsum; distal 0.6 of wing mostly brown, obscuring typical forewing markings represented by a trace; diffuse orange-red subapical patch. Fringe brown. Hindwing uniformly pale gray, brown along perimeter; anal margin in male with well-developed roll of sex scales. Fringe pale brown. Abdomen: Brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 34–36 ; 1 View FIGURES 1–12 preparation examined) with tegumen elongate-subrectanglar, lateral sides nearly straight, with small lobelike expansion just before attachment of uncus; uncus broad, each lobe kidney bean-shaped, densely spined; socius membranous, pendant, subrectangular; valva somewhat parallelsided, narrowed just beyond middle, slightly attenuate in distal 0.15; cluster of spiniform setae near venter ca. 0.5 distance from base to apex; subbasal patch of elongate setae ill-defined, represented by fine scattered setae between spiniform cluster and lower edge of basal concavity; basal process of valva relatively long, 4–5 times as long as wide, curved-elbowed near middle, a patch of 5 long setae on inner surface near middle, distal 0.2 with dense patch of short spines. Phallus ca. 0.5 as long as valva, gently curved throughout, with a few tiny serrations in distal 0.25; vesica with two cornuti: one broad from an irregular, sclerotized, C-shaped base, the other one slender, needlelike, from small rounded base. Female genitalia unknown.
Holotype. Male , Jamaica, Portland Parish, 4 mi S Hartford, 850', 26–27 Apr 1973, D. & M. Davis ( USNM), USNM slide 124,108.
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the country from which this species is described.
Remarks. In contrast to M. submicans , which appears to be fairly widespread in the Caribbean, M. jamaicana is known only from Jamaica.
| USNM |
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History |
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.