Scythris wikstromi 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

Scythris wikstromi Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis

Figs 29 , 58

Type material.

Holotype. Argentina • ♂; prov. Cordoba, Salinas Grandes SE shore; 29°50.5'S, 64°40.2'W; 185 m a.s.l.; 24 Sep. 2017; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; [BOLD sample ID] KN01067; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 2/12 Dec. 2019; coll. NUPP (MZH).

Diagnosis.

Safely determined only by dissecting the genitalia. In the male genitalia of S. wikstromi , the valvae are asymmetrical and sickle-shaped (right arm short and setose in S. bicoloristrigella , left arm short in S. saldaitisi ), and sternum VIII posteriorly with wide indentation and wide projections (narrower indentation and long projections in S. bicoloristrigella and S. saldaitisi ).

Description.

Wingspan 11.5 mm. Head, collar, neck tuft, haustellum, tegula and thorax brown with scattered cream scales. Scape dorsally brown, ventrally somewhat paler, pecten longer than diameter of scape. Flagellum dark brown, 0.7 × length of forewing, ciliate, sensillae ~ 0.65 × as long as diameter of flagellum. Labial palp: palpomere I pale cream, palpomeres II and III beige of various tones. Legs: foreleg dark brown, midleg and hindleg pale brown; lower surface pale beige. Abdomen dorsally fuscous, ventrally whitish grey. Forewing brown; black blotches in dorsum at 0.1, midwing at 0.35, and small ones above tornus and at cell end; white blotch in midwing at 0.25. Hindwing fuscous.

Male genitalia. Uncus elongate hood, posterior 1/2 heavily sclerotised with small semi-circular flap at middle. Gnathos base broad bel, attached to tegumen by membrane; distal arm upcurved, robust, heavily sclerotised and of constant width, tip blunt. Tegumen oval hood, dorsally widely open. Phallus ca. as long as uncus, rather slim, medially little constricted. Valvae asymmetrical, long and slender, basally fused by hood-like formation; basal 1/2 of both valvae rather broad, dorsally with small triangular lobes at 0.4; distal 1/2 tapered and incurved (sickle-shaped), tips heavily sclerotised and pointed, right valva 1.2 × longer. Juxta narrow, 1.1 × length of phallus. Sternum VIII hexagonal basally, medioposteriorly wide and deep U-shaped indentation; medio-anteriorly with sclerotised semicircle. Tergum VIII trapezoid, anterior margin concave and sclerotised.

Etymology.

Noun in the genitive case. The diacritic mark “ö” is deleted, following ICZN (2000) paragraph 32.5.2.1.The species is dedicated to Bo Wikström, a Finnish lepidopterist.

Distribution.

NW Argentina.

Habitat.

The collecting site is the shore of a large salt lake, in the zone between a dry shrubby area and low halophytic vegetation.

Genetic data.

Not obtained (specimen submitted to barcode analysis but the sample failed).

Remarks.

Female unknown. Based on COI maximum likelihood phylogeny and morphology, South American taxa Scythris bicoloristrigella , Scythris saldaitisi , and Scythris wikstromi group together, associating next to the North American taxa classified in Scythris , Rhamphura , or Neoscythris on BOLD (Suppl. material 2). We are unable to classify these with certainty to any Scythrididae genus, as diagnosed and illustrated in Landry (1991) and Bengtsson (2014). We therefore took a conservative view and classified these taxa in Scythris (incertae sedis), highlighting the need for further research.

Figures

Figures 24 B- 29. Scythrididae adults, genus Scythris 24 B S. tibicina Meyrick, 1916, male 25 A S. sanfranciscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, holotype 25 B S. sanfriscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, paratype 26 S. tigrensis Nupponen, sp. nov., male, holotype 27 A S. bicoloristrigella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 27 B S. bicoloristrigella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, paratype 28 S. saldaitisi Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 29 S. wikstromi Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype.

Figures 57 - 58. Male genitalia of Scythris 57 S. saldaitisi Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, holotype, slide 4 / 11 Dec. 2019 KN 58 S. wikstromi Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, holotype, slide 2 / 12 Dec. 2019 KN.