Emmelina vera Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2022

Ustjuzhanin, Petr Ya. & Kovtunovich, Vasily N., 2022, To the Pterophoridae fauna of Paraguay (Lepidoptera). Part 3, Ecologica Montenegrina 59, pp. 38-45 : 41-45

Emmelina vera Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E742FEC4-E5BB-49F9-88AD-455AF27C71AB

Figs 4-6

Type material: Holotype, ♂ ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1988), PARAGUAY, Dep. Cordillera, Tacuara Renda , 25°39’ S, 56°55’ W, 10–14. xi. 2011, U. Drechsel leg. ; Paratypes: 1♀ ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1989), PARAGUAY, Dep. Pte. Hayes, Puerto Barbero , 24°55’ S, 57°18’ W, 18. vi. 2011, U. Drechsel leg. ; 1♂, PARAGUAY, Dep. Alto Paraguay, Laguna Jacare , 21°30’ S, 57°58’ W, 13–17. v. 2015, U. Drechsel leg.

DESCRIPTION. External characters. Head, thorax and tegulae with grey-brown scales. Collar on head brown. Labial palpi thin, straight, slightly longer than eye diameter in length. Antennae thin, lightbrown, scape slightly thickened. Wingspan 20-23 mm (holotype 23 mm). Fore wings grey-brown sputtered with dark-brown scales. Elongated dark-brown spot along costal margin above cleft. Small dark-brown spot on outer margin of first lobe. Both lobes noticeably darkened apically and framed with dark-brown scales. Big blurred brownish spot in front of cleft. Fringe inside cleft dark-grey. Hind wings unicolorous, noticeably lighter colored than fore wings, with light-grey fringe on lobes.

Male genitalia. Valves asymmetric. Saccular process on left valve long, apically arched, tip hook-like, curved, acute. Saccular process on right valve shaped as wide fold located in medium part of valve. Uncus simple, thin, slightly curved. Anellus arms asymmetric, left arm basally wide then narrowing, right arm wide in all length, slightly shorter than left arm. Aedeagus thin, slightly curved basally, slightly shorter than valve in length.

Female genitalia. Papillae anales wide, triangle, apically acute. Posterior apophyses straight. Anterior apophyses absent. Antrum short, tubulate. Ductus bursae long, thin, membranous. Bursa copulatrix small, round, poorly sclerotized, without signa.

Diagnosis. In the male genitalia, in the curved saccular process on the left valve, the species resembles Emmelina buscki (Barnes & Lindsey, 1921) , but in E. buscki this process is curved towards the lover margin of the valve, while in the new species it is curved towards the upper margin. Additionally, the new species differs well from E. buscki in the special shape of the anellus arms and the aedeagus. In the female genitalia, the new species differs from E. buscki in the round bursa copulatrix.

Flight period: May, June, November.

Distribution: Paraguay.

Etymology: The species is named after Vera Aleynikova (Medvedeva) (Novosibirsk, Russia).

Figures

Figure 4. Emmelina vera Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. Adult, male, holotype.

Figure 5. Emmelina vera Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. Male genitalia, holotype (ZISP gen.pr. Nr. 1988).

Figure 6. Emmelina vera Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. Female genitalia, paratype (ZISP gen.pr. Nr. 1989).