Scythris lequetepequensis Nupponen, 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 lequetepequensis Nupponen sp. nov.

Figs 22 , 52

Type material.

Holotype. Peru • ♂; prov. La Libertad, Lequetepeque River, near El Huabal village; 7°16.9'S, 79°18.2'W; 200 m a.s.l.; 1 Feb. 2019; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; [BOLD sample ID] KN01074; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 2/8 Dec. 2019; coll. NUPP (MZH).

Paratype. Peru • ♂; prov. Cajamarca, Lequetepeque River, near Chilete village; 7°12.9'S, 78°45.3'W; 980 m a.s.l.; 4 Feb. 2019; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; coll. NUPP.

Diagnosis.

Rather reliably determined externally by pale brown forewings with indefinite paler areas at midwing, a dark brown subapical spot and fringe under tornus being darker than those at apical area. In the male genitalia of S. lequetepequensis , the gnathos with massive base and dorsally expanded pouch, and a transverse and sclerotised arched sclerite at tergum VIII are diagnostic.

Description.

Wingspan 13 mm. Head, collar, neck tuft, tegula and thorax pale brown. Few whitish brown scales around eye; thorax posteriorly edged by white scales. Haustellum white. Scape dorsally pale brown, ventrally paler, pecten longer than diameter of scape. Flagellum dark brown, 0.75 × length of forewing, ciliate, sensillae ~ 1/2 as long as diameter of flagellum. Labial palp: palpomere I white; palpomeres II and III with lower surface brown, otherwise whitish brown. Legs pale cream, upper surfaces of tibiae and tarsi mixed with pale brown in mid- and hindlegs, and darker brown in foreleg. Abdomen dorsally fuscous, ventrally white. Forewing pale brown, middle part of wing indefinite paler than costal and dorsal areas; at cell end whitish cream blotch, subapically small dark brown spot; fringe under tornus darker than those at apical area. Hindwing dark fuscous, darker than forewing.

Male genitalia. Uncus bifurcate plate, posterior lobes broad, rounded. Gnathos as long as phallus; base massive with dorsally expanded pouch; distal arm tapered, tip with T-shaped hook. Tegumen round hood. Phallus 0.7 × length of valva, medially bent, distal 1/2 tapered, tip pointed. Valva straight, distal 1/2 dorsally somewhat widened and setose, apex round. Saccus labiate, ~ 1/3 as long as valva. Sternum VIII trapezoid, medioposteriorly shallowly indented; anterior margin concave and reinforced. Tergum VIII tongue-shaped, lateral and posterior margins folded, anterior margin medially with V-shaped indentation; subposteriorly with transverse and arched ridge covered by minute spines.

Etymology.

Latinised adjective in the nominative singular. The species is named after the type locality, valley of the River Lequetepeque.

Distribution.

Peru.

Habitat.

The collecting locality is a moist riverside meadow (Fig. 80 ).

Genetic data.

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

Remarks.

Female unknown. We classify taxon Scythris lequetepequensis in genus Scythris , based on the somewhat similar male genitalia between S. lequetepequensis and North American ( Landry 1991) and African ( Bengtsson 2014) species such as S. mixaula Meyrick, 1916 from South-West USA and S. cretiflua Meyrick, 1913 from South Africa. These include for instance massive gnathos, horizontally narrow point of articulation between tegumen and valva, and symmetrical and apically setose valva.

Figures

Figure 80. Collecting site of Scythris lequetepequensis sp. nov. and S. medullata Meyr.: Peru, Lequetepeque River shore (200 m), 1 Feb. 2019.

Figures 18 - 24 A. Scythrididae adults, genus Scythris 18 S. caimancitoensis Nupponen, sp. nov., male, holotype 19 S. ejiciens Meyrick, 1928, male, holotype 20 S. fluvialis Meyrick, 1916, male, lectotype 21 S. inanima Meyrick, 1916, male, holotype 22 A S. lequetepequensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, holotype 22 B S. lequetepequensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, paratype 23 S. plocogastra Meyrick, 1931, female, holotype 24 A S. tibicina Meyrick, 1916, male, lectotype.

Figures 51 - 52. Male genitalia of Scythris 51 S. inanima Meyrick, 1916, holotype, slide JFGC No. 8051 52 S. lequetepequensis Nupponen sp. nov., holotype, slide 2 / 8 Dec. 2019 KN.