Syllepte confusalis Becker, 2023

Becker, Vitor Osmar, 2023, The identity of Syllepte incomptalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae) with synonymies, new combinations and new species, Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20220093) 67 (1), pp. 1-12 : 9-10

Syllepte confusalis Becker , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6999ECDE-880B-4343-A36B-E614C12224BD

Figs. 1j , 3 k-l, 5n

Material examined: Holotype ♂, BRAZIL: São Paulo (SP), São José do Barreiro , 1640 m, S 22,72°, W 44,61°, x.2021 ( VOB 165009 ) ; Paratypes: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, same data as holotype, g. s. 5737 ( VOB) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Paraná (PR): Curitiba , 920 m, 14.x.1974, 5.vi.1975, g. s. 5738 (Becker 8201, 8448) ; 1 ♂, Guaratuba , 1600 m, 5.viii.1975, g. s. 5725 (Becker 8233) ; 1 ♀, Quatro Barras , 800 m, 2.v.1970, ex Bakeridesia rufinervia ( VOB 8446 ) ; Rio de Janeiro ( RJ), 1 ♂, Nova Friburgo , 1100 m, 9.xi.1998 (Becker 117807) ; 2 ♂♂, Itatiaia , 2000 m, S 22, 37°, W 44, 75°, 24-27.ix.2021, g. s. 5727, 5730 (Becker 164270) , 1♂, Teresópolis, Casa do Pesquisador , 22°27’17”S 42°59’50”W, 1134m, 13-16.VI.2021, C.C.D. Corrêa leg., MN-LEP 0002626, DNA-LAPEL 436 ( MNRJ), 1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Casa do Pesquisador, Casa do Pesquisador, 22°27’16”S 44°36’29”W, 807m, 07-08.IV.2021, T.Zacca leg., MN-LEP 0002247, DNA-LAPEL 245 ( MNRJ) ,

1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia , 910m, 23-27.X.2019, A. Soares, G. Marconato, M. A. Costa & N. Tangerini leg., MN-LEP 0001448 ( MNRJ) , 1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia , 910m, 07-10.II.2019, A. Soares, G. Marconato, M.A.Costa & N. Tangerini leg., MN-LEP 0001445 ( MNRJ) ; SP, 1 ♂, Campos do Jordão , 1600 m S 22º46’, W 45º31, 27.ii.2001 (Becker 131349) ; 1 ♂, Campos do Jordão, Parque Estadual Campos do Jordão, Alojamento , 1514m, 22°41’25”S 45°29’13”W, 05-06.X.2021, C. C. D. Corrêa leg., MN-LEP 0003497 ( MNRJ) ; 1 ♂, São Luis do Paraitinga , 900 m, S 23º20’, W 45º06’, 13-20.iii.2001, g. s. 5726 (Becker 132329) ; 1 ♂, Salesópolis, Estação Biológica de Boracéia , 900 m, S 23°38’, W45°52’, 1-4.iv.2022 (Becker 166180) ; 2 ♂♂, Minas Gerais ( MG), Aiuruoca , 1600 m, S 22,03°, W 44,68°, 24.i.2019, 4-9.x.2021 (Becker 157695, 165325) ( VOB) .

Diagnosis: Large ( Fig. 1j ). Male FW length 17-19 mm (37-42 mm wingspan), female 16-18 mm (35-40 mm wingspan). Yellowish. Wings ornate with an intricate net of curved and lunulate lines; FW apex acute, a large fuscous patch beyond the median line to termen, from R4 to tornus; HW with a fuscous area at apex, distad of postmedial band, narrowing along termen to M3; an elongate, irregular fuscous band at middle, delimiting a yellowish orbicular. Male genitalia with uncus short, expanded distally forming lateral, broad triangles.

Description: Sexes similar. FW 17-19 mm (37-42 mm wingspan) ( Fig. 1j ). Head and thorax pale yellow. Labial palpi pale yellow, fuscous distally. Patagia with a fuscous line across middle; tegula with row of fuscous scales at base. Legs pale yellow; fore and mid coxae and femora fuscous, tarsi ringed fuscous. FW pale yellow, basal and antemedial bands curved, fuscous; antemedial band followed with three orbicular spots; reniform spot extending to near costa; large, fuscous patch beyond postmedial band, from R4 to tornus. HW with orbicular and reniform spots well defined; postmedial line double, forming lunules on vein interspaces; broad fuscous patch on apex, narrowing along termen towards M3; terminal line fuscous; internal margin white; cilia fuscous from apex to M3, pale yellow to tornus. Abdomen pale yellow, banded fuscous on articulations.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 3k ): Uncus short, broad, with lateral triangular expansions; valva two times longer than wide, margins nearly parallel, costa straight, distal third of ventral margin round to acute apex; fibula a thin, sharp, bent hook. Juxta an elongate shield. Vinculum expanded basally, round. Phallus ( Fig. 3l ) straight, thin; vesica with an irregular, small plate.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 5n ): Ostium bursae long, narrow; ductus bursae, long, almost as long as abdomen, straight, broadened slightly basad; corpus bursae oblong, signum a small, round, spined plate.

Distribution: Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, at high elevations.

Etymology: From the Latin confusion -onis =mixture, disorder; in reference to the confusion caused by the earlier workers misidentifications of P. scripturalis.

Remarks: A large species, the same size and externally almost identical to S. limata. Easily separated by their distribution: S. limata from North America to Ecuador, at high elevations; S. confusalis restricted to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. Also by their male genitalia: inS. limata the uncus ( Fig. 3i ) is long, with the margins nearly parallel, and slightly concave at apex, whereas in S. confusalis ( Fig.3k ) the uncus is short, broadly expanded laterally into a triangular projection. This species has been misidentified as S.scripturalis by earlier workers, and under this name curated in all collections. S. scripturalis ( Figs. 1 k-l) is a smaller [FW 12 mm; 27 mm wingspan], the same size and externally identical to S. suffusalis ( Fig. 1m ), if not the same species.As, unfortunately, no male ofS. scripturalis is available to allow comparing their genitalia, the two are retained as distinct. S. limata is treated as P.scripturalis, byAmsel (1956-1957: 129), a misidentification; the male genitalia (Pl. 81, fig. 8) martch those of other specimens from Mexico and Central America.

Figures

Figure 1 Syllepte adults, dorsal view.a-d.S.incomptalis: a-b.Hübner Figs 285,286; c.[=Pantographa idmonalis Druce, holotype female, Mexico]; d. Male,Mexico.e.S.fraternalis, holotype male, Mexico.f.S.acoetesalis, male, Costa Rica.g.S. expansalis, male, Guatemala. h-i.S. limata: h.Male, Costa Rica. i. Female, USA.j. S. confusalis, male holotype, Brazil. k-l.S.scripturalis,female holotype;k.female, Brazil.m.S.suffusalis, female,Mexico.n.S. gorgonalis, male, Mexico.o-p.S. mnemusalis, males, Brazil.q-r.philetalis: q. Male, Costa Rica; r. Female, Ecuador.

Figure 3 Syllepte male genitalia,ventral view:left, genitalia;right,phallus.a-b.S.incomptalis, Mexico.c-d.S.fraternalis, paratype, Mexico.e-f.S. acoetesalis, Costa Rica.g-h.S.expansalis,Costa Rica.i-j.S.limata, Mexico.k-l.S.confusalis, paratype,Brazil.m-n.S.suffusalis, Costa Rica.o-p.S.gorgonalis, Mexico.q-r.S.mnemusalis, Brazil.s-t.S.philetalis, Mexico.

Figure 5 Psara, Haritalodes, Coremata, Neomabra: a-j. Male genitalia, ventral view; left, genitalis, right, phallus. a-b. P. imbroglialis, Mexico. c-d. H. derogata, Australia. e-f. H. pharaxalis, Brazil. g-h. C. stigmatalis, Brazil. i-j. N.serratilinealis, Brazil.k. N.serratilinealis, 8th abdominal sternite. l-q. Syllepte, female genitalia, ventral view. l. S. incomptalis, Mexico. m. S. scripturalis, Brazil.n. S. confusalis, paratype, Brazil.o. S. belialis, Brazil. p. S. limata, Costa Rica. q. S. sororalis, paratype, Brazil.