Glyphidocera illiterata Meyrick, 1929

DAVID ADAMSKI, 2005, Review of Glyphidocera Walsingham of Costa Rica (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Glyphidoceridae), Zootaxa 858, pp. 1-158 : 89-90

Glyphidocera illiterata Meyrick, 1929

(Figs. 150–152, 281, 337, Map 27 )

Glyphidocera illiterata Meyrick, 1929: 509 ; Becker, 1984: 41 (checklist).

Diagnosis.— Glyphidocera illiterata can be distinguished from its congeners by a unique combination of features that include a short valva, a stout digitate process of the valva, costal furcae of valva widely separate, and dorsal furca of costa about midway between digitate process of valva and ventral furca.

Description.— Head: Vertex dark brown; frontoclypeus dark brown intermixed with few pale­brown scales; outer surface of labial palpus dark brown intermixed with few pale­brown scales to near apical margin of segment II, inner margin dark brown intermixed with few pale­brown scales; scape of antenna dark brown intermixed with few palebrown scales, flagellum dark brown; male with 4th flagellum dorsally protuberant and curved, forming a deep concavity opposite slightly excavated flagellomeres 5–6; proboscis dark brown.

Thorax: Tegula and mesonotum dark brown. Legs dark brown intermixed with few pale­brown scales to near apical margins of all segments and tarsomeres. Forewing (Fig. 337): Length 5.2–7.0 mm (n = 15), dark brown intermixed with few brown and pale­brown scales; cell with one large, dark­brown spot near distal end. Undersurface dark brown. Hindwing: Pale brown basally, gradually darkening to brown towards apex.

Abdomen (Fig. 150): Male with 4 transverse, irregular rows of sex scales on intersegmental membrane between terga 2–3 and terga 3–4.

Male Genitalia (Figs. 151–152): Uncus elongate, wide at base, broadly constricted medially, broadly rounded apically, slightly keeled dorsally, apex narrowly rounded; gnathos protuberant, narrow throughout length, upturned apically; tegumen slightly widened basally; dorsal strut of tegumen with arms convergent, fusing near midlength between posteroventral margin and base of uncus, dorsally divergent slightly and atrophied; costa of valva short, slightly sloped broadly from a shallow depression beyond a short, digitate process to dorsal furca; apex widely bifurcate, distance between furcae about as long as costa; dorsal furca curved outwardly, ventral furca twice as large as dorsal furca, and curved dorsolaterally; sacculus twisted apically slightly beyond midlength, constricting valva, widening distoventrally forming a broadly rounded cucullus; cucullus membranous and setose; vesica of aedeagus with many stout, conical cornuti, and bearing a large crescent­shaped, apical cornutus; cornutus with one side shortened near midlength, exposing a hollow, basal cavity.

Female Genitalia (Fig. 281): Papillae anales elongate, slightly wider basally than apically; apophysis posterioris and apophysis anterioris about equal in size; eighth sternum slightly narrower than eighth tergum; eighth sternum with posterior and anterior margins broadly rounded, anterior margin more emarginate medially; eighth tergum with posterior and anterior margins broadly rounded; antrum enlarged posteriorly from a constricted anterior part; posterior margin nearly straight, posterolateral margin angular; anterior part with a pair of short, spinelike processes inside cavity formed from outer wall; ductus bursae short; corpus bursae denticulate, slightly enlarged anteriorly; ductus bursae large, coiled throughout length, coils gradually decreasing in size apically; ductus seminalis with a long, 8­coiled, internal support; side opposite ductus seminalis with an elongate, platelike, internal support.

Type Examined: Holotype, ɗ, “Balboa, Panama, Canal Zone, at light, 19.6.[19]24, St. George Expedn., C.L. Collenette.” “BM Slide No. 5645.” [BMNH].

Other Specimens examined: (11 ɗ, 4 Ψ) 1 ɗ, “Est[ación] Las Pailas, 800 m, P[arque] N[acional] Rincón de la Vieja, Prov[incia] Guan[acaste], COSTA RICA, 24 Nov. a 26 Ene. 1993, J. Sihezar, G. Rodriguez, L­N­306300, 388600”, “CRI001, 211921”, “ɗ Slide No. 495”; 1 ɗ, “ 23 Oct. a 12 Nov. 1992, C. Cano”, “CRI000, 920403”, “Slide No. 500”; 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ, “Agua Buena, P. N. Guanacaste, Prov. Guana., COSTA RICA, 200 m, 7–12 Feb. 1994, E. Lopez, L­N­334800, 364100, 2692”, “CRI001, 747346”, “Ψ Slide No. 496”; “CRI001, 747377”, “Slide No. 494”; 1 ɗ, “Quepos, 80 m, P. N. Manuel Antonio, Prov. Punt., COSTA RICA, R. Zuniga, Abr. 1991, L­S­370900, 448800”, “CRI000, 593398”, “Slide No. 618”; 1 ɗ, 2 Ψ, “Fca. Cafrosa, 1300 m, Est. las Mellizas, P. N. Amistad, Prov. Punt., COSTA RICA, M. Ramirez, Mar 1991, L­S­316100, 596100”, “CRI000, 355262”, “Slide No. 682”; “CRI000, 355393”, “Ψ Slide No. 684”; “CRI000, 355278”, “Ψ Slide No. 685”; 5 ɗ, 1 Ψ, Same label data as above except, “Abr.”, “CRI000, 475034”, “Slide No. 683”; 1 ɗ, “CRI000, 474676”; 1 ɗ, “CRI000, 474630”; 1 ɗ, “CRI000, 475017”; 1 ɗ, “CRI000, 475106”; 1 ɗ, “CRI000, 474553”; 1 ɗ, Same label data as above except, “ June 1991 ”, “CRI000, 663689”, (7 in INBio, 7 in USNM).

Distribution ( Map 27 ): In Costa Rica, Glyphidocera illiterata is known from four collecting sites from the northwestern part of the country, along the Cordillera de Guanacaste, southeast to the coast in south­central Costa Rica, east to the border near Panamá, along the Cordillera de Talamanca. G. illiterata is also known in Panamá from specimens described by Meyrick (1929).

Figures

MAP 27. Distribution of Glyphidocera umbrae () and G. illiterata Meyrick ().