Blastobasis litis Adamski

Adamski, David, 2013, Review of the Blastobasinae of Costa Rica (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Blastobasidae), Zootaxa 3618 (1), pp. 1-223 : 53-55

Blastobasis litis Adamski , new species

( Figs. 101–102 , 294 , 337 , Map 15)

Diagnosis.— Blastobasis litis is similar to B. chanes in facies but differs from the latter by having sockets of tergal setae extending beyond the midlength of the tegumen; and a wider apicoventral margin of proximal flange of dorsal part of the valva. B. litis also has a phallus and sclerite of phallus that are acutely curved at 2/3; an anellus that is widely truncate apically, and setose along its lateral margins; and a dorsal strut of the tegumen that are lacking in B. chanes .

Description.—Head: Scales on vertex and frontoclypeus grayish brown tipped with white intermixed with pale grayish-brown scales. Outer surface of labial palpus grayish brown intermixed with white scales along apical margins of segments 1–2, inner surface paler. Antennal scape and pecten grayish brown, flagellum brownish gray gradually brightening apically; first flagellomere in male dilated, inner surface of dilated part with 23 palmate sex scales (n=1), ( Fig. 294 ). Proboscis grayish brown.

MAP 15. Distribution of Blastobasis litis (●) and B. chanes (˔).

Thorax: Scales on tegula and mesonotum grayish brown tipped with pale grayish brown. Legs with grayishbrown scales tipped with pale grayish brown intermixed with pale grayish-brown scales near midsegments and along apical margins of all segments and tarsomeres. Forewing ( Fig. 337 ): Length 5.0 – 6.0 mm (n = 2), grayish brown intermixed with grayish-brown scales tipped with pale grayish brown; base grayish brown, submedian fascia grayish brown, complete; cell with three grayish-brown spots, one spot near middle, two spots on apical end along crossvein; marginal spots grayish brown. Undersurface grayish brown. Hindwing: Translucent grayish brown gradually darkening to apex.

Abdomen: Male genitalia ( Figs. 101–102 ): Uncus slightly narrowed from base, broadly rounded apically, slightly downcurved, sparsely setose, shorter than width of anal opening. Dorsal strut of tegumen narrow, fused with base of uncus. Gnathos wide, confluent with tegumen, posteroventral margin slightly protracted mesially, bidentate; midwidth of pigmented part of gnathos about equal to midwidth of uncus. Sockets of tergal setae extending beyond midlength of tegumen. Valva divided; ventral part angled dorsolaterally from beyond base, narrowed apically, forming inwardly curved spinelike process; process setose on outer surface, planate on inner surface; ventral margin setose from 1/5, upturned slightly, forming narrow fold to near slightly raised setose lobe at base of apical process; dorsal part with apical portion of costa extending dorsolaterally, forming setose digitate process; digitate process broadly curved inwardly; area beneath costa overlaid with densely packed microtrichiate membrane extending above and below phallus to opposite side; basal ridge of digitate process protracted ventrally fusing with dorsolateral ridge of proximal flange; ventral margin of proximal flange linear, widening ventrolaterally forming a broadly rounded apicoventral ridge; proximal flange bearing densely packed microtrichiae intermixed with sparse hairlike setae. Juxta bandlike. Vinculum semicircular. Phallus and sclerite of phallus longer than valva; sclerite of phallus sigmoid-shaped; anellus widened basally, parallelsided, apically truncate, narrowly notched mesially, setose along margin. Female Genitalia: Unknown.

Holotype, 3, “F[in]ca Cafrosa, 1300 m, Est[ación] Las Melizas, P[arque] Internac[ional] La Amistad, Prov[incia] Punt[arenas], COSTA RICA, M. Ramirez, May[o] 1991, L-S-316100, 596100”, “INBio: COSTA RICA: CRI000, 355380” [barcode label], “INBio 3 Genitalia Slide by D. Adamski, No. 3632” [yellow label].

Paratype: 1 3, “Est. Marirza, 600 m, ledo oeste del Volcan Crosi, Prov. Guan., COSTA RICA, I Curso Microlepidoptera, Jul. 1990, L-N-326900, 373000”, “CRI000, 179349”, “Slide No. 3501”, “USNM 83831”, [paratype in USNM].

Distribution (Map 15). Blastobasis litis is known from two distantly separate collecting sites: one along the western most part of the Cordillera de Guanacaste and one along the eastern most part of the Cordillera de Talamanca near the border of Panama.

Etymology. The specific epithet litis is derived from Latin Litis , meaning a legal controversy or action.

Figures

FIGURES 99 – 104. Male genitalia of Blastobasinae. 99 – 100, Blastobasis echus (slide 3710). 101 – 102, Blastobasis litis (slide 3632). 103 – 104, Blastobasis chanes (slide 3450).

FIGURES 292 – 299. Male sex scales on first flagellomere of Blastobasis. 292, Blastobasis usurae. 293, Blastobasis echus. 294, Blastobasis litis. 295, Blastobasis chanes. 296, Blastobasis fax. 297, Blastobasis coffeaella (Busck, 1925). 298, Blastobasis rotullae. 299, Blastobasis custodis.

FIGURES 336 – 343. Imagos of Blastobasinae. 336, Blastobasis echus, holotype. 337, Blastobasis litis, holotype. 338, Blastobasis chanes, holotype. 339, Blastobasis fax, holotype. 340, Blastobasis coffeaella (Busck, 1925). 341, Blastobasis rotullae, holotype. 342, Blastobasis custodis, holotype. 343, Blastobasis deliciolarum, holotype.