Rhamphura tetrafasciella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination, 2022

Nupponen 1, Kari & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2022, Revision of Neotropical Scythrididae moths and descriptions of 22 new species from Argentina, Chile, and Peru (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea), ZooKeys 1087, pp. 19-104 : 19

Rhamphura tetrafasciella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis

Figs 9 , 64

Type material.

Holotype. Argentina • ♀; prov. La Rioja, valley east of Sierra de Sanogasta; 29°51.7'S, 67°09.9'W; 670 m a.s.l.; 22 Sep. 2017; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; [BOLD sample ID] KN01040; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 3/13 Dec. 2019; coll. NUPP (MZH).

Diagnosis.

Externally distinctive species, readily recognised by four transverse dark brown fasciae on forewing. The female genitalia are characterised by the funnel-shaped sterigma attached anteriorly to an arched plate.

Description.

Wingspan 10 mm. Head dark brown, forehead mixed with white. White scales around eye. Neck tuft white. Collar, haustellum, tegula and thorax dark brown with scattered white. Scape dark brown, ventrally mixed with white; pecten as long as diameter of scape. Flagellum dark brown, 0.6 × length of forewing. Labial palp white, palpomere III mixed with dark brown. Legs: femur and tarsi white, each tarsus two dark brown patches at upper surface; tibiae mixed with fuscous. Abdomen anterior 1/2 of each segment dorsally dark brown, otherwise white. Forewing dirty white, cut by four irregular transverse dark brown fasciae belts subbasally, at 0.45, 0.7, and subapically. Hindwing pale fuscous.

Female genitalia. Sterigma funnel-shaped, distally tapered, posterior 1/2 more sclerotised; anteriorly attached to arched sclerotisation. Ostium small, situated at tip of sterigma. Sternum VII trapezoid, 1.3 × wider than high. Apophyses anteriores 0.7 × length of apophyses posteriores.

Etymology.

Diminutive noun in apposition. The species name refers to the forewing patterning of the moth.

Distribution.

NW Argentina.

Habitat.

The collecting site is a xerothermic saline valley at foothills of the Andes, with rather sparse vegetation.

Genetic data.

BIN: BOLD:ADZ0119 (n = 1 from Argentina). Nearest neighbour: Scythris sp. (BIN: BOLD:ADZ0118, 5.65%).

Remarks.

Male unknown. Based on COI maximum likelihood phylogeny, the South American taxa Rhamphura subdimota , Rhamphura depressa , Rhamphura pozohondaensis , Rhamphura spiniuncus , Rhamphura angulisociella , Rhamphura tetrafasciella , and Rhamphura curvisociella group together, associating next to the North American taxa classified in Rhamphura on BOLD (Suppl. material 2). Structurally these taxa are heterogeneous and the external characters, male and/or female genitalia show varying degrees of similarities to the North American Rhamphura , as diagnosed and illustrated in Landry (1991). With regard to Rhamphura tetrafasciella , the structural differences are notable and we therefore took a conservative view and classified this taxon in Rhamphura (incertae sedis), highlighting the need for further research.

Figures

Figure 64. Female genitalia of Rhamphura tetrafasciella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, holotype, slide 3 / 13 Dec. 2019 KN.

Figures 7 - 11. Scythrididae adults, genera Rhamphura and Landryia 7 R. angulisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 8 R. curvisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 9 R. tetrafasciella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, female, holotype 10 A L. ankylosauroides Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 10 B L. ankylosauroides Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, paratype 11 L. chilensis Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype.