Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, 2021

Ustjuzhanin, Petr, Kovtunovich, Vasyly & Streltzov, Alexander, 2021, New species of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) from Ecuador, Ecologica Montenegrina 46, pp. 84-97 : 87-90

Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:44537696-B1C5-43DE-8457-5EEA09EDB580

Figs 5−7

Type material: Holotype, male ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1973), Ecuador, Pichincha prov., Camping Bella Vista , 2230m, 0°00'41"S, 78°41'17"W. 27.X.2011, V. Sinyaev & O. Romanov leg. ; Paratypes: 1 female ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1974), same data as holotype ; 1 specimen without abdomen ( CUK), Ecuador, Carchi prov., El. Angel Ecological Reserve, Road Tulcan-El Chical , 3300 m, 0°48'46"N, 78°00'40"W. 14.XI.2012, R . Brechlin & V. Sinyaev leg. ; 1 specimen without abdomen ( CUK), Ecuador, Road Loja-Zamora , 2700 m, 03°58'45"S, 79°08'28"W, 22.II.2012, R . Brechlin & V. Sinyaev leg.

(Holotype, gen.pr. Nr. 1972).

Description. External characters. Head, thorax and tegulae green. Labial palpi also green, their third segment thin, narrow, second segment wide. Labial palpi slightly longer than longitudinal eye diameter. Antennae cross-striped, with alternating green and brown segments. Wingspan 27−33 mm, in holotype – 27 mm. Fore wings light-green. Brown spot at cleft base. Two brown spots on first lobe along costal edge. Second lobe interspersed with tiny brown scales. Fringe inside cleft with alternating portions of green and brown hairs. Hind wings unicolorous, light-grey with glittering. Fringe on third and fourth lobes greyish-brown, on fifth lobe green at base, from outside, medially and distally mottled: with grey, brown and light-green hairs. Hind legs pale-green, interspersed with brown scales, ends of spurs brown.

Male genitalia: Uncus narrow, slightly curved, apically acute. Valves asymmetric, left slightly wider than right. Saccular process on left valve arched, apically acute, reaching middle of valve in length. Saccular process on right valve short, wide, also reaching only middle of valve. Anellus arms short, wide. Saccus with small notch on outer edge. Aedeagus almost straight, sharply bent on end, almost at right angle, 1.5 times shorter than right valve in length.

Female genitalia: Papillae anales oval. Posterior apophyses long. Lamina vaginalis wide, sclerotized. Antrum short, tubulate. Ductus short, membranous. Bursa copulatrix pear-shaped, without signa.

Differential diagnosis. In the male genitalia, in the shape of the saccular process on the left valve, the new species is similar to Hellinsia sucrei Gielis, 2011 , but differs in the wider and shorter saccular process on the right valve and in the other shape of the anellus and aedeagus. In the apically curved aedeagus, the new species slightly resembles Hellinsia glochinias (Meyrick, 1908) and Hellinsia cordobae Gielis, 2013 , but is the new species the aedeagus is apically curved almost at a right angle, while in H. glochinias and H. cordobae it is smoothly curved at a blunt angle. Additionally, the new species clearly differs in the shape of the saccular process on both valves and in the wings colour.

Distribution: Ecuador (Pichincha and Carchi Provinces).

Flight period: February, October−November.

Etymology: The species is named after Elena N. Nikolaeva (Berezovo, Novosibirsk Region, Russia), a school teacher of biology and chemistry, naturalist, Honorary Worker of Education of the Russian Federation.

Figures

Figure 5. Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., adult (Holotype, male, ZISP).

Figure 6. Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., male genitalia (Holotype, ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1973).

Figure 7. Hellinsia elena Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich sp. nov., female genitalia (Paratype, ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 1974).