Acalyptris dominicanus Remeikis & Stonis

Stonis, Jonas R. & Remeikis, Andrius, 2015, The first records on the genus Acalyptris from the Caribbean (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae), Zootaxa 4057 (1), pp. 79-90 : 85-86

Acalyptris dominicanus Remeikis & Stonis , sp. nov.

( Figs 23–29 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, DOMINICA ( Commonwealth of Dominica), Clarke Hall (Bredin-Archold- Smithsonian Biological Survey), 10.ii.1965, J. F. G. & T. M. Clarke, genitalia slide no. RA613 ( USNM).

Diagnosis. Externally, the new species differs from all other known Neotropical Acalyptris in the combination of pale basal patch on the forewing and broad zone of brown androconia on the hindwing. In male genitalia, it is recognizable by a unique shape of juxta (see a pictorial key in Fig. 34 ).

Male ( Fig. 23 ). Forewing length 1.6–1.7 mm, wingspan 3.7–3.8 mm. Head: palpi cream; frontal tuft pale ferruginous; collar cream, formed by piliform scales; eye-cap yellowish cream; antennae slightly shorter than half of forewing; flagellum with ca. 28–29 segments, greyish cream. Thorax and tegula yellowish cream. Forewing with large yellowish cream basal patch (see Fig. 23 ) surrounded with grey to grey-brown scales; apex yellowish cream, with a few scattered grey scales; cilia yellowish cream; underside of forewing grey-brown except large cream patch in basal half and apex. Hindwing yellowish cream, with grey-brown elongate androconia covering most of hindwing on upper side except small basal area and apical third ( Fig. 23 ; with a clearer reconstruction in the pictorial key in Fig. 34 ); underside of hindwing yellowish cream, without androconia; cilia yellowish cream. Legs cream. Abdomen cream on upper and underside; anal tuft short, cream.

Female. Unknown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 24–29 ). Capsule longer (265–270 µm) than wide (170 µm). Vinculum with two large (long) lateral lobes ( Figs 26, 27 ). Pseuduncus slender ( Fig. 27 ). Uncus with two short and two longer caudal projections, and one ventral projection ( Fig. 25 ). Gnathos with pointed caudal process, tiny central element and relatively broad lateral arms ( Fig. 25 ). Valva very simple ( Fig. 24 ), 155 µm long, 35–40 µm broad at the base (the broadest part), without processes except relatively long basal ones ( Figs 24, 27 ); transtilla absent. Lateral apodeme very prominent ( Fig. 24 ). Phallus ( Figs 28, 29 ) 270 µm long, 80 µm wide, with a few apical carinae including two short straight ones ( Fig. 29 ); vesica with single but very large sinuous cornutus and large cathrema ( Fig. 28 ).

Bionomics. Collected in February. Otherwise unknown.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Dominica ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology. This species is named after Dominica ( Commonwealth of Dominica), a country where the new species was discovered.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Acalyptris in the Caribbean (Map—courtesy of T. Patterson, U. S. A.); * — species belong to the bicornutus complex; ** — species belong to the tenuijuxtus complex.

FIGURE 34. Pictorial key to the species of the bicornutus and tenuijuxtus complexes.

FIGURES 23 – 29. Acalyptris dominicanus Remeikis & Stonis, sp. nov., holotype. 23, moth; 24, valva, lateral apodeme and juxta, permanent genitalia slide no. RA 613; 25, uncus and gnathos, temporary mount in glycerol; 26, genital capsule without phallus, permanent genitalia slide no. RA 613; 27, male genitalia with phallus, temporary Euparal mount; 28, 29, phallus, permanent genitalia slide no. RA 613.