Pollex (Bilobiana) flax, Fibiger, 2007

Fibiger, Michael, 2007, Revision of the Micronoctuidae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea). Part 1, Taxonomy of the Pollexinae, Zootaxa 1567 (1), pp. 1-116 : 69-70

Pollex (Bilobiana) flax Fibiger, new species

( Plate 9 , figure 1; male genit. plate 19, figure 1)

Material examined.

Holotype: male, Philippines, Sulawesi N, Dumoga Bone National Park , 20.ii.1985, genit. prep. 4462 M. Fibiger. Coll. BMNH.

Diagnosis.

Wingspan: 11 mm.

Transverse lines: brown, suffused with black scales; terminal line marked by black dots between veins. Reniform: distinct, whitish grey, very small, outlined by black.

Fringes: coloured like subterminal area.

Hindwing: unicolorous grey brown with an indistinct black discal spot.

Underside: unicolorous grey brown.

Male genitalia.

Tegumen: narrow.

Vinculum: short, stout.

Saccus: U-shaped, short.

Fultura superior: U-shaped, but broad, with long narrow arms, fused with upper middle part of tegumen and ventrally with juxta-anellus on dorsal side; medially with a large, subapically bent, finger-like, apically blunt, ventrally directed process.

Valve: shorter than wide.

Ampulla: almost symmetrical; long, curved, relatively narrow; densely setose with long, hair-like, inwardly bent setae.

Pollex : prominently asymmetrical; right side transformed to a huge, upwardly directed, pointed spine; left pollex very short and wide, broadest medially; subapically densely setose with long, hair-like, inwardly bent setae.

Digitus: almost symmetrical; long, tapered, curved, directed slightly ventrally, apically pointed.

Juxta-anellus plate: large, higher than wide, hole for phallus positioned dorsally on left side of plate.

Phallus: long, evenly curved, slightly tapered towards apex, broadest by ductus ejaculatorius; coecum long and apically rounded.

Vesica: with a small, medially bent, apically pointed cornutus.

Differential diagnosis.

P. falx differs from other species by the prominent ventral process of fultura superior, the long, spine-like right pollex, the short, stout, left pollex, and the small, medially bent cornutus.

Figures

PLATE 9. Figures 1–8. Pollex subgenus Bilobiana species, adults. 1, P.(B.) falx, male holotype, Indonesia, Sulawesi N, Dumoga Bone National Park; 2, P. (B.) spina, male holotype, Indonesia, Bali S, Sanur; 3, P. (B.) sansdigit, male holotype, Philippines, Mindanao, Mt. Apo; 4, P. (B.) paraspina, male holotype, Indonesia, Sulawesi S, Bantimurung; 5, P. (B.) diabolo, male holotype, Philippines, Palawan, Mt. St Paul; 6, P. (B.) spastica, male holotype, Philippines, Panay, Antiquo; 7, 8, P.(B.) mindanaoi, female holotype, Philippines, Mindanao, Sapamoro and the same, unspread.