Eupithecia copaquillaensis, Vargas, 2021

Vargas, Hector A., 2021, A new species of Eupithecia Curtis (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from the Andes of northern Chile, Nota Lepidopterologica 44, pp. 239-247 : 239

Eupithecia copaquillaensis sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2 , 3-6 , 7

Type material.

Holotype, male, Chile: Chile, Parinacota, Copaquilla, 2800 m.; December 2020; light trap; H.A. Vargas leg.; IDEA-LEPI-2021-007; genitalia slide HAV-1415. Specimen and genitalia slide deposited at IDEA.

Paratypes, Chile. Three males, IDEA-LEPI-2021-008, IDEA-LEPI-2021-009, IDEA-LEPI-2021-010, genitalia slide 1408, 1409, 1473, respectively, three females IDEA-LEPI-2021-011, IDEA-LEPI-2021-012, IDEA-LEPI-2021-013, genitalia slides 1410, 1417, 1434, respectively, same data as for holotype. Specimens and genitalia slides deposited at IDEA.

Diagnosis.

The morphology of the genitalia of E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. (Figs 3-6 ) closely resembles that of E. atacama (Vojnits, 1985) (Figs 8-11 ), with type locality near Freirina village in the Huasco Province of northern Chile, also recorded in a few localities of the Coquimbo Province ( Vojnits 1985). E. atacama was originally described in Heteropithecia Vojnits, 1985, a monotypic genus synonymized with Eupithecia by Rindge (1987). This synonymy has been followed in subsequent studies ( Rindge 1991; Parsons et al. 1999), including the redefinition of Eupithecia by Mironov and Galsworthy (2012). The males of E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. and E. atacama have two cornuti on the vesica, the larger of which is a narrow horseshoe-like piece with asymmetrical arms. However, the smaller cornutus is sub-cylindrical and curved on the distal half in E. copaquillaensis sp. nov., while it is depressed, squat and concave in E. atacama . The females of the two species have a mainly membranous corpus bursae with small teeth-like signa. However, the signa are grouped in a dense semicircular patch in E. copaquillaensis sp. nov., while those of E. atacamae are arranged in longitudinal stripes.

Description.

Male (Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 9.9-10.1 mm.

Head. Frons and vertex creamy white with brownish gray scattered scales. Labial palp concolorous with frons and vertex. Antenna filiform, creamy white dorsally, ciliated ventrally, cilia longer than flagellomere diameter.

Thorax. Mainly creamy white with brownish gray and yellowish brown scattered scales. Foreleg mainly brownish gray with creamy white scattered scales. Mid- and hindleg mainly creamy white with brownish gray scattered scales; tibial spurs creamy white. Forewing mainly creamy white with abundant brownish gray and a few yellowish brown scattered scales; poorly differentiated brownish gray transverse stripes broader and darker near costal margin, narrower and lighter towards posterior margin. Hindwing mainly creamy white with poorly differentiated brownish gray transverse stripes near posterior wing margin and brownish gray scattered scales on distal half.

Abdomen. Mainly creamy white with brownish gray and yellowish brown scattered scales. Tergum VIII (Fig. 2 ) square-like; anterior margin straight, distinctly sclerotized, shortly projected laterally; posterior margin with short semicircular projection in the middle. Tergum VIII (Fig. 2 ) as two separate longitudinal rods depressed anteriorly, medially curved posteriorly.

Male genitalia (Figs 3-5 ). Uncus broad, depressed basally, narrow, spine-like distally, with pointed apex. Tegumen narrow, left and right parts completely separated. Saccus broadened ventrally, posterior margin broadly rounded. Juxta as a transverse ellipsoid stripe, calcar broadly U-shaped. Transtilla as a transverse stripe. Labides with anterior arm medially curved, bearing an apical finger-like papilla with short setae on distal half; posterior arm straight, bearing a semicircular slightly sclerotized papilla. Valva elongated, broader basally, narrowing distally, apex rounded, costal sclerotized band not reaching apex, sacculus slightly sclerotized. Phallus sub-cylindrical, anterior apex rounded, broadening distally; vesica with two cornuti, larger cornutus a narrow horseshoe-like piece with asymmetrical arms, smaller cornutus a sub-cylindrical piece curved on distal half.

Female. Forewing length similar to male. Antenna with cilia shorter than flagellomere diameter. Wings slightly lighter than those of male, with less brownish gray and more yellowish brown scales.

Female genitalia (Fig. 6 ). Papilla analis lobe-like, slightly sclerotized near anterior margin, with hair-like setae. Posterior apophysis narrow, rod-shaped, about twice the length of papilla analis. Anterior apophysis narrow, rod-shaped, about half the length of papilla analis; ventral arm about same length as papilla analis, distally depressed and slightly broadened. Antrum broad, membranous. Ductus bursae short, membranous. Corpus bursae mainly membranous, with longitudinal striations, small teeth-like signa grouped in a dense semicircular patch. Ductus seminalis at apex of a narrow, finger-like appendix bursae near the base of corpus bursae.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the type locality.

Distribution

(Fig. 7 ). Based on the type material, E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality, the Copaquilla ravine (18°23'55"S, 69°37'49"W), at about 2800 m elevation on the western slopes of the arid Andes of northern Chile. The high similarity (98.6%) of the barcode of E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. to a congeneric sequence from Antofagasta, Chile found in BOLD suggests a broader geographic range, reaching to about 400 km south of the type locality. However, the exact sampling site of the BOLD sequence is unknown.

Biology.

Adults of E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. were collected using a light trap in December 2020. Host plants remain unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Male paratype of Eupithecia copaquillaensis sp. nov. in dorsal view. Scale bar: 5 mm.

Figure 2. Male abdominal segment VIII of Eupithecia copaquillaensis sp. nov. Sternum (left) in ventral view; tergum (right) in dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 7. Geographic distribution of two morphologically close species of Eupithecia of northern Chile: E. copaquillaensis sp. nov. (triangle) and E. atacama (Vojnits, 1985) (circles). Lower box shows the type locality of E. copaquillaensis sp. nov., the Copaquilla ravine, on the western slopes of the Andes of northern Chile.

Figures 3 - 6. Genitalia of Eupithecia copaquillaensis sp. nov. 3. Male genitalia in ventral view, phallus removed; 4. Phallus in lateral view; 5. Smaller cornutus; 6. Female genitalia in ventral view. Scale bar: 0.4 mm.

Figures 8 - 11. Genitalia of Eupithecia atacama (Vojnits, 1985). 8. Male genitalia in ventral view, phallus removed; 9. Phallus in lateral view; 10. Smaller cornutus; 11. Female genitalia in ventral view. Scale bar: 0.4 mm.