Stamnodes ferropulvisa sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DDF7C8EB-7E2F-447E-AD2D-4CCCC1D83252

Figs 28, 56, 73, 87, 94–95

Diagnosis

At the CNIN, Stamnodes ferropulvisa sp. nov. was sorted with S. agapetica, but it can be easily distinguished from the latter by its lighter ground colour which leans more toward a cream shade rather than orange-brown. Moreover, S. ferropulvisa lacks a strong transverse medial band on the hindwing underside, which is present in S. agapetica . Stamnodes ferropulvisa is also visually similar and presumably closely related to S. calcarea sp. nov. While both species share a tan to cream ground colour, the forewing underside apical area and hindwing underside of S. ferropulvisa is given much more toward rusty-brown than the lighter beige colour found in examined material of S. calcarea . Additionally, S. calcarea has an apparent pale, medial, transverse band on the hindwing underside that is absent or inconspicuous in S. ferropulvisa . Male genitalia of these species are quite similar, but the posterior juxtal processes of S. calcarea are more rounded apically and less deeply cleft between (see arrow, Fig. 57a), while the same processes of S. ferropulvisa are apically pointed and deeply cleft between (see arrow, Fig. 56a).

Stamnodes ferropulvisa sp. nov. is somewhat reminiscent of S. ululata (Fig. 28), a California (USA) endemic. Both share a creamy upperside and a much darker, rust-coloured, forewing-underside, apical area and hindwing underside. Stamnodes ferropulvisa is noticeably smaller than S. ululata and lacks the bipectinate male antennae, but more importantly these species are allopatric.

Etymology

The specific epithet ferropulvisa, loosely translates to ‘rust-powdered’ in Latin and describes the colour and fine maculation of the forewing underside apical area and hindwing underside.

Material examined

Holotype

MEXICO • ♀; Nuevo León, Cerro Potosí; [24.88° N, 100.21° W]; 26 Jun. 1997; elev. 2800 m; V.O. Becker leg.; BOLD Process ID: LNAUY181-19; GenBank: OP898454; genitalia: TAM-2020-200; USNMENT01523824.

Paratypes (17 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀)

MEXICO – Nuevo León • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; VOB • 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Santiago; 25°21′ N, 100°18′ W; elev. 1760 m; 25–30 May 2000; V.O. Becker leg.; Becker 120895; VOB • 1 ♀; 3 mi. E of Galeana; [24.81° N, 100.03° W]; 7–9 Aug. 1963; W.D. Duckworth and D.R. Davis leg.; BOLD Process ID: LNAUY168-19; GenBank: OP898437; genitalia: TAM-2023-200 (USNM 154207); USNMENT01523811 • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; 4 mi. W of Iturbide; [24.74° N, 99.97° W]; elev. 5500 ft; 22 Sep. 1975; J. Powell, J. Chemsak and T. Friedlander leg.; at light; EMEC1748418 to EMEC1748420 • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 13–14 Sep. 1976; J. Chemsak and J. Powell leg.; at blacklight; EMEC1748421 to EMEC1748423 • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 25 Sep. 1975; J. Powell, T. Richlin, and T. Friedlander leg.; at light; EMEC1748426 and EMEC1748427 • 2 ♂♂; highway 60, 4 mi. E of Galeana Jct.; [24.74° N, 99.98° W]; elev. 6000 ft; 23 Sep. 1975; J. Powell and T. Friedlander leg.; at light; EMEC1748424, EMEC1748425. – Hidalgo • 4 ♂♂; Santiago de Anaya; 20°24′07.61″ N, 98°53′17.97″ W; 26 Sep. 2017; A. Ibarra Vázquez leg.; genetic voucher: TAM0053; BOLD Process ID: WAGL2453-20; GenBank: OP898471; genitalia: TAM-2020-045, TAM-2023-240; CNIN. – Coahuila • 2 ♂♂; Saltillo, Lomas de Lourdes; 25.36366° N, 100.9774° W; 16 Sep. 2020; Emily Estefanía Espinosa Villarreal leg.; CNIN • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 10 Apr. 2020; genitalia: TAM-2023-219; CNIN .

Description

Male

FOREWING LENGTH. 15–16 mm (n = 17).

HEAD. Antenna filiform, fuscous to black. Frons and vertex rosaceous, pale white to cream at margins. Labial palpus short, slightly porrect, subequal to diameter of eye, and mostly rosaceous. Cephalic collar mostly cream.

THORAX. Cream to ochreous. Legs with mostly rosaceous femora, but otherwise cream; tibial spur formula 0–2–4; epiphysis well developed.

FOREWING. Cream ground colour; costa ochreous; apical area brown with curved, transverse, cream-coloured postmedial band that fades into ground colour centrally; brown colour of apices extending and fading down outer margin to tornus in some individuals. Underside matching patterning of upperside but with costa, apices, and outer margin replaced with rust. Fringe uncheckered and brown.

HINDWING. Cream-coloured above; below, rosaceous in costobasal area but elsewhere finely maculated with rust-coloured scales. Fringe like forewing.

ABDOMEN. Cream to ochreous.

GENITALIA (Fig. 56). Uncus long and spatulate. Vinculum broadly squared. Juxta nearly pentagonal but with posterior face deeply cleft forming posterolateral points. Inner face of valva with hair tuft arising from medial depression; elongate scales of hair tuft enlarged at tips. Vesica with single, large, spinose cornutus and separate patch of dozens of much smaller spinose cornuti.

Female

Outwardly undifferentiated from male.

FOREWING LENGTH. 16–17 mm (n = 8).

GENITALIA (Fig. 73). Ovipositor short, anterior and posterior apophysis subequal in length. Ductus bursae short and narrow with prominent sclerite flattened on ventral surface and dorsolaterally rolled toward median. Corpus bursae ovoid with circular signum bearing minute papillae; signum situated at anterior third of corpus bursae.

Distribution (Fig. 87)

Mexico: Stamnodes ferropulvisa sp. nov. is known from the pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Oriental, from southern Coahuila in the vicinity of Saltillo southward to at least Santiago de Anaya, Hidalgo .

Biology

The flight of Stamnodes ferropulvisa sp. nov. is at least partially synchronous with S. aumatlapalli sp. nov. at the type locality in Hidalgo, and synchronous with S. saltillo sp. nov. and S. favilla sp. nov. at the type locality in Coahuila. The immature stages of this taxon remain unknown, but with new phylogenetic information and an expanded knowledge of Stamnodini life history (Matson & Wagner in prep.), the discovery of this caterpillar should be relatively easy to auger. A preliminary phylogeny of Stamnodini (Matson & Wagner in prep.) places S. ferropulvisa sister to S. formosata and deep within a clade of Cercocarpus specialists. Local Cercocarpus from the collection localities of S. ferropulvisa will likely host the larva. Likewise, the larva is likely to be stout, green to brown in colour, with 4–5 deep creases per segment, and abundantly salted with white excrescences. Adults may be bi- or multivoltine as confirmed records are from April through June and September. Presumably, larvae follow the adult flight in the same manner as close relatives.

Molecular characterization

This species is represented in BOLD by two BINs: BOLD:ADY9132 (n = 2, Nuevo León) and BOLD:AEH2872 (n = 1, Hidalgo). The pairwise distance between these two BINs is ~2%. The distance to their nearest adjacent interspecific neighbour, Stamnodes formosata (n = 20), is around 5% (Fig. 94), however, the presumed sister species, S. calcarea sp. nov., has not been successfully sequenced.

Remarks

The forewing lengths of type individuals from Coahuila and Nuevo León are on average about 1 mm longer than type individuals from Hidalgo .