Catharylla gigantea T. Leger & B. Landry

Leger, Theo, Landry, Bernard, Nuss, Matthias & Mally, Richard, 2014, Systematics of the Neotropical genus Catharylla Zeller (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae s. l., Crambinae), ZooKeys 375, pp. 15-73 : 33-34

Catharylla gigantea T. Leger & B. Landry sp. n. Figs 3, 15, 16, 36, 43

Type material.

Holotype. ♂, with labels as follows: "Brazil: Amazonas, Manaus, | Reserva Ducke, AM-010, k[ilo]m[eter]. 26 | 2°55'S, 59°59'W, Dec[ember].13, 1993 | J. Bolling Sullivan & | Roger W. Hutchings | U[ltra]V[iolet] Light (Plateau Hut)"; "HOLOTYPE | Catharylla gigantea | T. Léger & B. Landry" [red label]; "BL 1747 ♂" [light green label]. Deposited in USNM.

Paratypes. 5♂, 2 ♀. BRAZIL: 1 ♂, Amazonas, Reserva Ducke, km. 26, Manaus–Itacoatiara Highway, 15.v.1972 (E. G., I. and E. A. Munroe) (CNC). FRENCH GUIANA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (genitalia respectively on Pyralidae Brit. Mus. slides N° 11224 and 11342), Saint-Jean-du-Maroni (E. Le Moult) (BMNH); 1 ♂ (genitalia on slide GS-6694-SB), Oyapok [sic] River, Pied Saut, iii.1918 (S. M. Klages) (CMNH). GUYANA: 2 ♂, 1 ♀ (1 ♂ with genitalia on slide BL 1716, ♀ with genitalia on Pyralidae Brit. Mus. Slide N° 19017), Potaro, ii.1908 (2 ♂), v.1908 (1 ♀) (S. M. Klages) (BMNH).

Diagnosis.

From Catharylla chelicerata , Catharylla gigantea differs in having the male costal arm shorter, basally wide and tooth shaped while it is long, narrow throughout and hook shaped in Catharylla chelicerata . The juxta is long, tongue shaped, almost straight, and apically rounded, whereas it is downcurved and apically conical in Catharylla chelicerata . In female genitalia, the sterigma forms a pair of shallow pockets opened posterad whereas in Catharylla chelicerata the sterigma forms a strongly sclerotized symmetrical structure made of two asymmetrical bell-shaped cavities opened anterad.

Description.

Male (n = 6) (Fig. 3): Head with ochreous chaetosemata. Antenna brown with light brown scales, with patch of dark brown scales at base. Maxillary palpus brown with dark brown spot at half of length, white tipped. Labial palpus: 1.6-2.4 mm long; ochreous to brown ochreous, basally white, with patch of dark brown scales at half of length, white tipped. Thorax with some brown at collar. Foreleg coxa white, femur white, ashen brown dorsally; tibia and tarsomeres brown-ochreous, distally ringed with dark brown. Midleg white with tibia-femur joint and base of tibia ashen; tarsomeres ochreous to brown ochreous with upperside brown to dark brown, white tipped. Hindleg white with tarsomeres II–V ochreous to brown ochreous, upperside brown, with white tips. Forewing length: 13.5-14.5 mm; snow white with wide brown to dark brown costal line from base to apex; median and subterminal transverse lines faded brown; dark brown spots on termen forming more or less continuous line; fringes brass colored; underside white, with costal margin brown ochreous, outer margin with subtriangular spots. Hindwing snow white; marginal spots dark brown between R5, M1, M2, M3, and CuA1; fringe white; underside snow white, with same spots as on upperside.

Tympanal organs (n = 5): Transverse ridge medially convex. Tympanic pockets extending slightly beyond transverse ridge, rounded. Tympanic bridge lightly sclerotized, dorsal base of praecinctorium sclerotized. Tympanic drums elongate, bean shaped.

Male genitalia (n = 5) (Figs 15, 16): Uncus straight, about 3/4 length of tegumen arms, dorso-ventrally flattened, dorsally convex, ventral margin convex in basal half, concave in distal half; basally and laterally setose; apex slightly rounded, medially with short projection pointing postero-ventrally. Gnathos arms joining at 1/5, about 1/4 longer than uncus, regularly curved. Tegumen arms narrow at base, widening regularly to reach 1.5 × basal width dorsally, with connection at distal 1/6. Cucculus densely setose, broad at base, slightly widening and truncate at apex; costal arm of valva basally wide, short, tooth shaped, slightly curved inward. Juxta long, tongue shaped, almost straight, apically rounded, with basal lateral lobes curved ventrally. Saccus short, curved upward. Phallus narrow, S-shaped; vesica covered with tiny spicules, with string of 14 small cornuti increasing in size toward apex, with apical cornutus up to 5 × length of previous one.

Female (n = 2): Labial palpi: 2.5-3.1 mm long. Forewing length: 17.5-22 mm; frenulum triple.

Female genitalia (n = 2) (Fig. 36): Papillae anales ventrally projected. Posterior apophyses about 0.35 × length of papillae anales, narrow. Segment VIII narrowing ventrally, densely covered with spinules; narrow connection at lamella antevaginalis; lamella antevaginalis slightly projected downward. Sterigma forming pair of shallow pockets opened posterad at base of segment VIII. Anterior apophyses about 0.08 × length of papillae anales, of medium width, basally wide. Ductus bursae wide, as long as twice segment VIII, regularly enlarging into corpus bursae. Corpus bursae with one rounded signum.

Distribution.

Catharylla gigantea has been found in French Guiana, Guyana, and Brazil (Amazonas) (Fig. 43).

Etymology.

The name comes from the Latin giganteus, a, um meaning very large.

Notes.

The name was given to the species on manuscript labels by S. Blezynski, probably in reference to the large size of the female.