Leucosigma schausi Goldstein

Goldstein, Paul Z., Janzen, Daniel H., Proshek, Benjamin, Dapkey, Tanya & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2018, A review of Leucosigma Druce, 1908: a newly discovered case of fern-feeding and descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 788, pp. 87-133 : 104-107

Leucosigma schausi Goldstein sp. n. Figs 35, 36, 37, 38, 45, 46, 47, 48; Male genitalia: Figs 69-72, 96, 97; Female genitalia: Figs 104, 108; Larvae: Figs 139-146.

Material examined.

Type material. COSTA RICA (3♂, 3♀): HOLOTYPE ♂. Voucher: D.H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs DB: http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu Area de Conservacion Guanacaste. Guanacaste: Sector Pitilla: Estacion Quica, 10.99697, -85.39666, el. 470m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 07/19/2010, ecl. 08/16/2010, Ricardo Calero, collector, 10-SRNP-72230, ♂ USNM Dissection 148076, USNMENT01370303 PARATYPES (2♂, 3♀): Males: Sector Pitilla: Calma, 11.00987, -85.39214, el. 412m, 02/11/2010, ecl. 03/12/2010, Ricardo Calero, collector, 10-SRNP-70740, USNMENT01437325, USNM Dissection 148298; Sector Pitilla: Quebradona, 10.99102, -85.39539, el. 475m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 02/04/2010, Ricardo Calero, collector, 10-SRNP-70653, USNMENT01437290 [abd. missing] Females: Sector Pitilla: Estacion Quica, 10.99697, -85.39666, el. 470m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 06/23/2013, ecl. 07/17/2013, Ricardo Calero, collector, 13-SRNP-71023, USNM Dissection 148080, USNMENT01437332; Sector Pitilla: Quebradona, 10.99102, -85.39539, el. 475m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 01/07/2010, ecl. 02/18/2010, Calixto Moraga, collector, 10-SRNP-70113, USNMENT01370292; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Quica, 10.99697, -85.39666, el. 470m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 06/26/2010, ecl. 07/31/2010, Ricardo Calero, collector, 10-SRNP-71934, USNMENT01437312. Types at USNM.

Other material examined

(3♂, 7♀). COSTA RICA (1♂): Golfito 25-28.IV.65 SS & WDD DUCKWORTH, ♂ USNM Dissection 148146, USNMENT01370291 GUATEMALA (2♂, 3♀): Males: Cayuga Guat, June, Schaus and Barnes coll, June, USNM Dissection 41,194, USNMENT01437362; Ibid, April, USNM Dissection 4091, USNMENT01437241 Females: Cayuga, Guat., July, Schaus and Barnes coll, Chytonidia chloristis Schs WT 6.21, USNMENT01437337; GUATEMALA Dept. Suchitepequez Cutotenango 10-20 June 1966 Flint &B Ortiz, USNMENT01437317; Cayuga, Guat, Aug, Schaus and Barness coll, USNMENT01437377 CUBA (2♀): Baracoa, Cuba, Collection Wm Schaus, ♀ genitalia Slide USNM Noc 4092, USNMENT01370281; Ibid, Oct., ♀ genitalia Slide USNM Noc 4093, USNMENT01437340 MEXICO (1♀): MEX: Tmps Gomez Farias 21 III 1981, Nacimiento del Rio Frio, Gillespy & Lara Collectors, USNMENT01437352 PANAMA (1♀): Bocas dToro Pan, Apr '07, Collection Wm Schaus, USNMENT01437300

Diagnosis.

Most readily differentiated from other Leucosigma by the sharply pointed sclerotized saccular extentions and the elongate cucullus reminiscent of the mandibles of trap-jaw ants ( Odontomachus Latreille). Forewing similar to those of L. chloe and L. reletiva , the similarities including the pale apical patch, more variably shaded with green in L. schausi , and the straight/squared reniform, appearing more “pinched” into two trianguloid green wedges in L. schausi . Terminal area of hind wing underside distinctly paler than basal and medial areas but less extensively scaled with green than L. albimixta .

Description.

Head. Antennae setose-ciliate, bifasciculate in males, finely scaled above with pinkish tan. Frons, vertex and labial palpi with variously hued brown and tan scales; scaling of the palpi paler underneath and on apical segment. Palps with brown and dark brown scales, paler on apical segment. Eyes sparsely hairy.

Thorax. Anterior part of tegulae green. Wings. Forewing length 12.2 mm (holotype, male), average 12.2 mm (males, n = 8), 12.8 mm (females, n = 5). Pattern elements visible and distinct; variation in hue of brown shading a function of scale density, as the scales are more darkly colored at their tips; U-shaped fusion of reniform-orbicular complex similar to that in L. poolei , above; costal striae at basal, antemedial, and postmedial lines consist of juxtaposed black and white, white distal to black in the basal and postmedial striae and black distal to white in the antemedial stria; outermost costal striae white; postmedial line a series of black crescents enclosing pale brown centers; terminal line a series of more compressed such crescents; apical patch predominantly white with some green shading; underside shading concentrated in costal and especially terminal areas of both wings; lines incomplete, typical of genus. Legs. Most thickly scaled on femora, with mixture of colors similar to those of head predominantly brown and pinkish tan; femoral and tibial scales with an admixture of lime green; a single pair of striped mid-tibial spurs, two pairs on hind-tibiae; three rows of tibial spines on all legs.

Abdomen. Vestiture uniform pale gray, more or less concolorous with hind wings; slightly darker ventrally.

Male genitalia. Uncus elongate, widest subapically, upwardly curved with a conspicuous apical point, and bearing ventral crest of short setae. Tegumen dome-shaped, with its dorsal edge deformed at the base of the uncus. Vinculum shallow; saccus bluntly rounded. Juxta pentagonal, dorsal edge horizontal; annellar arms fused, hoop-like. Sacculus (1) tapering to a heavily sclerotized point; costal lobe of sacculus densely setose. Cucullus (2) elongate, straight for much of its length but curving apically to a point, with an expanded subapical setal patch. Adjoining dorsal process (3) setose, undifferentiated, coequal in width to cucullus. Clasper (4) elongate, thorn-like or gently sinuate, rendering the valvae with three pair of sharply pointed structures. Aedeagus with an elongate sclerotized band of raised granules. Vesica without cornuti; a small patch of granular spinules evident basad; subbasal diverticulum recurved, appearing trilobate, with medial diverticular “nipple” and a weakly sclerotized C-shaped ridge.

Female genitalia. Posterior apophyses less than twice as long as anterior apophyses. Lamella antevaginalis invaginate. Colliculum well developed. Ductus robust, opening to corpus bursae wide. Corpus bursae subtriangulate when distended.

Immature stages. Known from images of reared specimens (Figs 139-146). Larva predominantly light brown, faintly shaded with green intersegmentally and laterally on A4-6; coloration generally more uniform above spiracular line, reticulate below; the familiar dorsal herring-bone pattern consisting of a row of Y-shaped markings, the arms of which terminate at the D1 pinacula, which on A1 are partially encircled with anterior cream-colored marking to form a spectacle-like mark. Thoracic segments taper dorsally. Young larvae predominantly greenish gray, with anastomosing pattern visible dorsally; thin white spiracular line beneath a broader reddish-purple supraspiracular line, the upper edge of which runs just above SD1 pinacula.

Etymology.

The name schausi honors William Schaus, Jr. (January 11, 1858 - June 20, 1942), USDA entomologist and curator at USNM who described both Chytonidia , herein synonymized with Leucosigma , and the genus Lophomyra , also associated with ferns.

Biology.

Caterpillars found feeding on foliage of rain forest Microgramma percussa ( Polypodiaceae ) in ACG. Six reared specimens required an average of 22.5 days between the onset of the prepupal stage to adult eclosion.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama.

Other specimens of Leucosigma

(4♂, 1♀). Figs 33, 34, 43, 44; Male genitalia: Figs 73, 74, 93, 124-126 (terminalia in situ); Female genitalia: Fig. 109. Larvae: Figs 135-138.

Several specimens from the Dominican Republic bear similarities to a subset of those reared from ACG; all may represent variation within L. schausi , but because they bear minor genitalic differences consistent with barcodes that differ minimally (a single base pair) from those of L. schausi , the possibility that they represent a cryptic species remains open. The male genitalia differ slightly from those of L. schausi in the reduced sclerotized point at the apex of saccular extension. If in fact they prove to be distinct, they would be similar to the species pair Neoxeniades luda and Neoxeniades pluviasilva ( Hesperiidae ), which co-occur at ACG and differ by only one base pair in their DNA barcode and very slight genitalic differences ( Burns et al. 2007). It was decided not to describe a new species based on these characters, but rather to figure specimens and summarize information associated with them as "sp. near L. schausi ": DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (2♂): ♂, Dajabon Province 13km S. Roma de Cabrera ca. 400m, 20-22 May 1973 Don & Mignon Davis, ♂ USNM Dissection 148142, USNMENT01370285; ♂ Ibid, ♂ USNM Dissection 148297, USNMENT01437231, Male genitalia imaged in situ (Figs 124-126). COSTA RICA (2♂, 1♀): [♂] Guanacaste: Sector Pitilla: Estacion Quica, 10.99697, -85.39666, el. 470m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 11/03/2010, ecl. 12/12/2010, Ricardo Calero, collector, 10-SRNP-73224, USNMENT0105325; [♂] Alajuela: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Jacobo, 10.94076, -85.3177, el. 461m, larva on Microgramma percussa : 01/17/2011, ecl. 02/14/2011, Edwin Apu, collector, 11-SRNP-69183, USNM Dissection 148075, USNMENT01438819; [♀] Alajuela: Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Estacion Caribe, 10.90187, -85.27495, el. 415m, larva on Campyloneurum latum , 12/04/2011, Jorge Hernandez, collector, 11-SRNP-44977, USNM Dissection 148079, USNMENT01370288 7224.