Charadra coyopa Schmidt & Anweiler, 2010

Schmidt, Christian & Anweiler, Gary, 2010, The North American species of Charadra Walker, with a revision of the Charadra pata (Druce) group (Noctuidae, Pantheinae), ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 161-181 : 175-176

Charadra coyopa Schmidt & Anweiler , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C3A359C5-34C7-4A8A-BB1D-B6DFCD099CE8

Figs 10, 26

Type material. Holotype ♁ – MEXICO: “10268 / Mexico, D. F. [Distrito Federal, Mexico City] / 17 – I – 1946 ” [white handwritten label]; “ T. Escalante / Collection / through / A. C. Allyn, 1974” [white typed label]; “Photographed / by JDG 1001” [pink typed label]; “ HOLOTYPE / C haradra coyopa / Schmidt & Anweiler” [red label]. USNM.

Etymology. The name is derived from Mayan mythology. Coyopa is the ruler of the sound of thunder, and the brother of Cakulha. It is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Charadra coyopa is superficially most similar to C. oligarchia , but with an oblong rather than a round orbicular, and with a prominent pale patch (absent in C. oligarchia ) below the orbicular. Th e male vesica has a single massive cornutus, unique in Charadra .

Description. Female unknown; forewing length 18.9 mm. Head, thorax and abdomen – as for C. franclemonti , differing in the following characters: prothoracic collar pale brown with a whitish-grey border; vestiture paler grey brown; forewings with basal two-thirds grey brown, distal third (beyond postmedial line) grey, terminal area grey brown; reniform spot yellowish white with oblong, hollow-centered medial line; orbicular elongate oval, yellowish white with diffuse brown central scales; postmedial line distinct and serrate at veins; subterminal line diffuse and brown, expanded to a thick black line at costal and anal margins, two apical black dashes along veins. Male genitalia (Fig. 24) – Valves simple, subquadrate apically with an incurved, scoop-shaped dorsocaudal apex, which appears irregular and somewhat spinulose; costal process absent; clasper a simple scoop-shaped process about 1/6 length of dorsal valve margin, with broad surface directed dorso-cephalad; sacculus unmodified; uncus strongly constricted medially and apex bifid, Y-shaped; tegumen expanded dorsally; saccus V-shaped; juxta triangular; subscaphium sclerotized and minutely scobinate; aedeagus 4.5 × longer than wide, with a very wide, dorsally directed opening to vesica, opening about 1/3 total length of aedeagus; vesica directed at about 90 degrees to aedeagus; a single, massive rose-thorn like cornutus positioned near base on left side, directed towards vesica base.

Distribution and biology. Known only from the holotype specimen from the

Mexico City area. Th e collection date indicates a flight period in January.