Marimatha squala Ferris & Lafontaine, 2010

Ferris, Clifford & Lafontaine, Donald, 2010, Review of the North American species of Marimatha Walker with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Eustrotiinae) and the description of Pseudomarimatha flava (Noctuinae, Elaphriini), a new genus and species confused with Marimatha, ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 117-135 : 124-126

Marimatha squala Ferris & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9D012295-1CCF-4AE8-8943-283CFC9DC278

Figs 3, 4, 12, 19

Type material. Holotype ♂: Arizona, Cochise Co., Peloncillo Mts., Guadalupe Cyn., 30 July 1989, B. & J.F. Landry; Genitalia CNC slide # 14892 m. CNC. Paratypes 29 ♂, 23 ♀: Arizona. Santa Cruz Co., Madera Canyon 4880’, 10 July – 28 Aug. 1959 (16 ♂, 11 ♀), 24 June – 20 July 1960 (4 ♂, 1 ♀), J. G. Franclemont; Santa Cruz Co., Peña Blanca 3950’, 14 July 1960 (7 ♂), 2–5 Aug. 1960 (1 ♂, 2 ♀), J. G. Franclemont; Santa Cruz Co., Atascosa Mts. , Peña Blanca Canyon 3900’, 31°38'N, 111°09'W, 3 Aug. 2008, C. Schmidt & B. Walsh (3 ♀); Santa Cruz Co., Oro Blanca Mts. , Peña Blanca Lake 3700’, 10 mi WNW Nogales, 25 July 1971, L. M. Martin (1 ♂, 1 ♀).

Mexico. Guerrero, 33 mi S Iguala , 1450’, 5 Aug. 1954, J. G. Chillcott (5 ♀). Paratypes deposited in CDF, CNC, CUIC, JBW, and USNM.

Other material examined and distribution. USA. Arizona. Cochise Co. Carr Canyon, Huachuca Mts , 31°26.38'N 110°15.87'W, 5600’, 6 August 2009, C. D. Ferris; Cochise Co., Brushy Canyon, Chiricahua Mts , 31°44.19'N 109°14.16'W, 5470’, 31 July 2009, C. D. Ferris; Cochise Co., Banning Creek, Mule Mts , 31°27.78'N 109°52.22'W, 5700’, 2 August 2009, C. D. Ferris. Santa Cruz Co., Peña Blanca , 5 July 2009, Nate Gibson; Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia (in town), 31°32.62' N 110°45.31' W, 4050', 7–8 August 2009, C. D. Ferris. Costa Rica. Guanacaste, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Santa Elena , La Angostura , 25 May 2006, F. Quesada & R. Franco.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the shark genus Squalus in reference to the sharkfin-like process on the dorsal margin of the male valva.

Diagnosis. Head with frontal protuberance. Male genitalia: dorsal margin of valva smooth with sharply pointed triangular process at about 1/4 from apex; vesica with single large subbasal cornutus and a spine-covered diverticulum near apex. Female genitalia: ostial plate protruding, wedge shaped with convex sides, posterior margin cleft in middle 1/3 to base.

Description. Adult: Head – Frontal protuberance crater-like, nearly circular, flattened above haustellum. Thorax – Yellow with brown flecks. Legs: yellow, flecked with brown scales, more heavily on forelegs and middle legs, and in females. Wings (both sexes): DFW lemon yellow with dark discal spot and additional dark spot in fold at 1/4 from wing base; usually a smaller third spot below costa at 1/4 from base; a thin orange-brown postmedial line evenly curving around discal spot in most specimens. DHW fuscous. VFW yellowish buff, heavily infused with brown scales with well-defined pale band along inner margin. VHW yellowish, moderately flecked with brown scales, indistinct brown marginal line; in some specimens a suggestion of a brown discal spot and postmedian line. Male genitalia – Uncus: decurved, slender, expanded slightly apically with blunt rounded tip. Valvae: symmetrical, basally broad tapering to approximately middle (at apex of sacculus), then narrowing to a rounded apex, without corona; dorsal margin with prominent, sharply-pointed, triangular process at about 1/4 from apex; sacculus broad with slightly pointed rounded apex and with small spines sparsely distributed along dorsal margin. Aedeagus: smoothly sclerotized; vesica with single large dorsal cornutus projecting anteriorly, a flat sclerotized plate by opening into ductus ejaculatorius, and with long, tapered, spine-covered diverticulum to left of ductus ejaculatorius. Female genitalia – Corpus bursae ovoid without surface features, tapered posteriorly; ductus seminalis arising on left near junction with ductus bursae. Anterior 1/2 of ductus bursae lightly sclerotized, narrow at opening to corpus bursae, then expanded to sclerotized posterior part; a thumb-like diverticulum on ductus bursae on right just posterior to constriction at corpus bursae; posterior 1/2 of ductus bursae well sclerotized with a pleated-like (corrugated) section. Ostial plate an elongate wedge with concave sides, convex posterior margin cleft in middle 1/3 to base.

Distribution and biology. Arizona and southward to Costa Rica. Flight season is from mid-July to mid-August in Arizona and from late May in Costa Rica.