Amorbimorpha powelliana Kruse

Kruse, James J., 2012, Description of Amorbimorpha Kruse, new genus, from Mexico and the southern United States (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Sparganothini), Zootaxa 3177, pp. 33-42 : 36

Amorbimorpha powelliana Kruse , new species

Figs. 1, 2, 7 , 10

Diagnosis. Amorbimorpha powelliana is similar to several undescribed species in the genus. It exhibits some sexual dimorphism in color and possesses reduced ocelli. It is most similar to A. mackayiana , described below, but can be distinguished from that species by its less restricted median fascia, deeper brownish orange coloration in both sexes, and a wide and heavily sclerotized sterigma in the female. Like A. mackayiana , it may be distinguished from other species in the genus by its extremely large uncus and a transtilla that is a simple, spinose band.

Description. Male. Head: Frons brownish orange, rough scaled; vertex roughened, with brownish orange scales. Labial palpus yellowish orange mesally, brownish orange laterally. Antennal scaling brownish orange basally, lightening to orange distally. Ocelli reduced. Thorax: Dorsum smooth scaled, brownish orange, tegula roughened with wide scales. Forewing length 12.7–14.5 mm = 13.6; n = 2). Forewing ground color brownish orange; brown median faciae well developed at costa, extending to mid-wing; indistinct brown subterminal fasciae, strongest on basal side and at costa, faint with dark gray; faint brown transverse strigulae fading apically from subterminal area; brown spot at apex of discal cell. Fringe pale brownish orange. Hindwing shining ivory white, uniformly and gradually bronzed toward distal regions. Abdomen: Genitalia ( Fig. 7 ; slide #JJK127; EME; Mexico, Nuevo Leon, 4 mi W Iturbide; n = 2) with uncus consisting of long, prominent, basal stalk, then widely bifurcate near middle, dorso-ventrally flattened beyond, apices of bifurcations widened, with long setae ventrally; tegumen large, raised, angular, strongly curled at base of uncus; socius lobed; gnathos arms long, slender, angled near middle, subapically widened, apices terminating in small lobe; transtilla sclerotized, bandlike, with numerous short spines over most of posterior margin, with a small median lobe; valva subrectangular, sacculus and costa slightly concave near base, costa strongly sclerotized at base, less sclerotized at apex, sacculus strongly sclerotized throughout, slightly convex and slightly widening at two thirds from base; phallus pistol-shaped, distal portion very gently curved, about equal in length to phallobase, attenuate apically, attached to juxta by a strong, tapered process; vesica with 15–20 cornuti in dense cluster; juxta large, broadly rounded at base.

Female. Head, Thorax: Essentially as described for male, except forewing ground color dark brownish orange or reddish orange, markings suffused and less distinct than in male. Forewing length 11.7–15.5 mm = 13.9; n = 5). Abdomen: Genitalia ( Fig. 10 ; slide #JJK067; EME; Mexico, Nuevo Leon, 4 mi W Iturbide; n = 3) with papillae anales parallel-sided, rounded posteriorly, narrower anteriorly; sterigma strongly sclerotized ventrally, concave anteriorly, lobed anteriolaterally; ductus bursae moderate in length, widened anteriorly; corpus bursae large, rounded; signum narrow crescent-shaped, 7‒8 times as long as wide, nearly as long as width of corpus bursae.

Type Material. Holotype: Male: MEXICO: NUEVO LEON: 4 mi W Iturbide, 13–14.ix.1976, reared from eggs on synthetic diet, emgd. 12.i.1977, JAP 76J6, J. Chemsak & J. Powell (EME).

Paratypes (13, 5Ƥ). MEXICO: NUEVO LEON, 4 mi W Iturbide, 13–14.ix.1976 (2Ƥ), at lights, J. Chemsak & J. Powell (EME), reared from eggs on synthetic diet, emgd. 12.i.–26.iii.1977 (13, 3Ƥ), JAP 76J6 (EME).

Immature Stages. A single patch of 31 green eggs was deposited by a confined female. Eggs hatched in 22 days. Larvae fed on synthetic diet; after 50 days, they spun a cocoon and entered a pre-pupal state of dormancy that lasted one to three months before pupation. Total development time to pupation required 96–169 days. Adults emerged about two weeks after pupation.

Biology. Two adult females were captured at lights in mid-September.

Remarks. A worn male from Hidalgo, Mexico (8 mi NE Jacala, 5200’, 30.vi–1.vii.1970, E.M. & J.L. Fisher, LACM) may be conspecific with the holotype. However, the amount of wear and the distance from the type locality combine to inhibit its confident assignment to A. powelliana .

Etymology. The species is named for Jerry Powell, tortricid systematist, who collected the only known specimens and reared the type series from a wild-caught female.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 9. Adults and male genitalia of Amorbimorpha. 1 – 6. Adults. 1. A. powelliana, holotype male. 2. A. powelliana, paratype female. 3. A. mackayiana, paratype male. 4. A. mackayiana, paratype female. 5. A. schausiana, male (Mexico, Veracruz, Cofre de Perote, 3300 m, 04. vi. 1997, V. O. Becker, INBio). 6. A. spadicea, holotype female. 7 – 8. Male genitalia. 7. Amorbimorpha powelliana, holotype. 8. A. mackayiana, paratype. 8 A. Aedeagus of A. mackayiana, paratype. 9. A. schausiana, paratype.

FIGURE 10 – 14. Female genitalia of Amorbimorpha. 10. Female genitalia of A. powelliana, paratype. 11. Female genitalia of A. mackayiana, paratype. 12. Female genitalia of A. schausiana. 13. Female genitalia of A. schausiana, paratype (photograph by Jerry Powell). 14. Female genitalia of A. spadicea, holotype (photograph by Jerry Powell).