Megalota cacaulana Brown, 2009

Brown, John W., 2009, The discovery of Megalota in the Neotropics, with a revision of the New World species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutini), Zootaxa 2279 (1), pp. 1-50 : 14

6. Megalota cacaulana Brown , new species Figs. 6 , 30

Diagnosis. Superficially, M. cacaulana is indistinguishable from its Brazilian congener M. beckeri ( delphinosema group); however, the two are easily distinguished by features of the male genitalia. M. cacaulana has a pronounced, irregular, attenuate incurved projection from the valva about 0.75 the distance from the base, bearing a dense patch of long, slightly wavy setae, and the lobes of the uncus are more flattened dorsoventrally, vaguely crescent-shaped. The short, clublike basal process of the valva is extremely similar to that of M. beckeri , but the evenly concave lateral sides of the tegumen and the large projection from the distal part of the valva suggest that M. cacaulana is a member of the submicans group. The female is unknown.

Description. Head: Vertex dark brown and red-brown, frons slightly lighter brown; labial palpus brown. Thorax: Dorsum brown, with a faint darker lateral band on mesothorax. Hind tibia in male with pronounced sex scaling, white on inner surface, gray on outer surface, with hairpencil. Forewing length 7.5 mm (n = 1); basal 0.5 variegated brown and red-brown; an interrupted, oblique fascia from costa 0.5–0.7 distance from base, with a dark oblique dash at costa; an irregularly oblong-ovate patch in terminal region below apex, extending from near mid-termen to end of discal cell, and from there to dorsum as narrow dark brown line. Fringe brown. Hindwing dark brown, with margin nearly straight from CuA 2 to anal margin; anal margin in male with well-developed, elongate, white sex scales. Abdomen: Brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 30 ; 1 preparation examined) with tegumen subrectangular, concave laterally, with deep rounded indentation at junction of uncus and tegumen; uncus comparatively stout, straight along basal edge, rounded along distal end, lateral lobes separated by a U-shaped gap; socius inconspicuous; valva narrower in middle 0.33; pronounced irregular, attenuate incurved projection from valva ca. 0.75 distance from the base, bearing a dense patch of long, slightly wavy setae; basal process of valva short, stout, twice as long as wide, broadened and somewhat truncate distally, with row of short spines in apico-mesal region and longer, hairlike setae in lateral region. Phallus simple, slightly curved, a trace of an external thorn subdistally on dorsum; vesica without cornutus. Female genitalia unknown.

Holotype. Male, Brazil, Rondônia, Cacaulandia , 140 m, 26–30 May 1998, V. O. Becker ( USNM), USNM slide 85,871.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the type locality of Cacaulandia.

Figures

FIGURES 1–12. Adults of Megalota. 1. M. submicans (holotype), 2. M. synchysis (paratype), 3. M. peruviana (paratype), 4. M. aquilonaris (holotype), 5. M. vulgaris (paratype), 6. M. cacaulana (holotype), 7. M. macrosocia (holotype), 8. M. ochreoapex (holotype), 9. M. spinulosa (holotype), 10. M. simpliciana (paratype), 11. M. delphinosema (Costa Rica), 12. M. jamaicana (holotype).

FIGURES 28–30. Male genitalia of Megalota; valva spread, phallus removed. 28. M. aquilonaris, image of USNM slide 124,098; 29. M. vulgaris, image of USNM slide 124,184; 30. M. cacaulana, image of USNM slide 85,871.