Biocellata davisorum, Davis & Gentili-Poole & Mitter, 2008

Davis, Steve R., Gentili-Poole, Patricia & Mitter, Charles, 2008, A revision of the Cossulinae of Costa Rica and cladistic analysis of the world species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154 (2), pp. 222-277 : 247-250

BIOCELLATA DAVISORUM SP. NOV.

( FIGS 23 , 57, 58 , 91 , 137)

Male ( Fig. 23 ): Forewing length: 17–18 mm.

Head: Antenna with shaft and rami cream; labial palpus dark brown dorsally, cream ventrally; frons and vertex cream, irrorated with dark brown.

Thorax: Patagia a mix of creamy white and dark brown scales; tegula cream, irrorated with greyish brown; dorsum of prothorax and mesothorax with dark rusty-brown patch; metathorax cream, finely irrorated with light greyish brown; pleura cream, finely irrorated with greyish brown; venter brown and cream. Legs with femur and tibia cream irrorated with brown; tarsi mostly brown, banded white distally on each tarsomere. Forewing cream tolight brown dorsally, with approximately six brownish grey, transverse striae along basal threequarters of wing, running from inner to costal margin. These striae are nearly always present, with one or more diverging. Smaller brownish grey striae are dispersed throughout wing; short, transverse, dark brown striae along costal margin; two large, dark rusty-brown spots subterminally; another two dark rusty-brown spots near posterior margin of forewing, between 1A+2A and CuP, with one spot approximately adjacent to the subterminal spots and the other at half the length of wing; fringe banded greyish brown and creamy brown; forewing mostly brown ventrally, with some cream along termen; dark brown, short, transverse striae along costal margin. Hindwing mostly brown dorsally and ventrally, with some cream along termen; fringe banded brown and light cream.

Abdomen: Brown with some grey dorsally; mostly brown ventrally with some cream on each segment; A8 creamy light brown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 57, 58 , 91 ): Valva short, approximately 0.6¥ length of genital capsule, with a rounded lobe at upper terminal area, as viewed laterally; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.5¥ length of genital capsule; saccular process forming a heavily sclerotized ridge; juxta process lightly sclerotized, elongate and slightly upcurved; gnathos bifurcate, with two prongs upcurved; uncus somewhat broad and acutely bifurcate. Aedoeagus tapering gradually to acute apex as viewed laterally; rostellum outwardly curved at base and incurved at apical region; three to five small spines on outwardly curved portion of rostellum; aedoeagus gradually tapering to acute and slightly rounded apex as viewed ventrally.

REVISION OF THE COSSULINAE OF COSTA RICA 249

Female: Unknown.

Distribution: Known from Costa Rica and Colombia.

Holotype: ♂; COLOMBIA: VALLE: Junction Old Buenaventura Rd. Rio Dagua, 50 m: 8.ii.1989, J. B. Sullivan, slide USNM 85124 ( USNM).

Paratypes: COLOMBIA: VALLE: C. C. Hq. Bajo Calima, 300 ft: 1 ♂, 2.i.1988, J. B. Sullivan, ( USNM) . COSTA RICA: CARTAGO: Turrialba, Parque Nacional Barbilla, Estación Barbilla , 500 m: 1 ♂, 20–25.v.2001, L. Chavarria, ( INBio) . HEREDIA: 1 ♂, El Ceibo, 10 km. SE La Virgen, 450–550m: 11.iv.2003, Secondary Forest , trap 05/L/00/056, INBio-OET-ALAS, D. R . & M. M. Davis, slide USNM 85616 ( USNM) .

Host: Unknown.

Flight period: January to April.

Etymology: Derived from the Latin ‘-orum’ meaning the plural declension genitive. Biocellata davisorum is dedicated to my mother and father, Mignon and Don Davis.

Discussion: This species most closely resembles B. bistellata , a species known only from Brazil. The wing pattern of davisorum differs from bistellata in possessing thicker transverse striae in the forewing, two rusty-brown spots between 1A+2A and CuP, and the darkest hindwings in the genus.

The male genitalia of davisorum most closely resembles that of bistellata in possessing a ridge on the valva formed by the saccular process and the upcurved arms of the gnathos ( Figs 57 , 91 ). The two species differ in the broader uncus, more angular valva and more curved, concave saccular process in bistellata . Biocellata davisorum also has the arms of the gnathos closer together and more parallel than those in bistellata .

Biocellata bifida , which also occurs in Costa Rica, can be confused with davisorum , but differs from the latter by the presence of smaller subterminal spots on the forewing and sclerotized swellings along the sacculus of the male ( Figs 22 , 55 ).

Figures

Figures 20–31. Adults: 20, male, Biocellata alfarae; 21, female, Biocellata alfarae; 22, male, Biocellata bifida; 23, male, Biocellata davisorum; 24, male, Spinulata acutipennis; 25, female, Spinulata acutipennis; 26, male, Spinulata manes; 27, female, Spinulata manes; 28, male, Spinulata oblongata; 29, male, Spinulata quasivinnea; 30, female, Spinulata quasivinnea; 31, male, Simplicivalva ampliophilobia. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.

Figures 53–64. Male genitalia. Biocellata alfarae: 53, genital capsule; 54, aedoeagus. Biocellata bifida: 55, genital capsule; 56, aedoeagus. Biocellata davisorum: 57, genital capsule; 58, aedoeagus. Spinulata acutipennis: 59, genital capsule; 60, aedoeagus. Spinulata manes: 61, genital capsule; 62, aedoeagus. Spinulata oblongata: 63, genital capsule; 64, aedoeagus.

Figures 89–94. Male genitalia, lateral view of genital capsule: 89, Biocellata alfarae; 90, Biocellata bifida; 91, Biocellata davisorum; 92, Spinulata acutipennis; 93, Spinulata manes; 94, Spinulata oblongata. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.