Scrobipalpula onorei, Bidzilya & Chang, 2022

Bidzilya, Oleksiy & Chang, Patricia Esther Corro, 2022, A new species and new records of Gnorimoschemini (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from Ecuador, Zootaxa 5138 (4), pp. 388-400 : 389-391

Scrobipalpula onorei sp. nov.

Figs. 1–8

Type material. Holotype ♂, Ecuador, Las Pampas , Dez. 1981, leg. Onore (gen. slide 206/21, O. Bidzilya) ( SMNK). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Ecuador, Once de Noviembre, Catopaxi 3000 m, ii.1981 (Onore) (gen. slide 212/21♀; 218/21♂ O. Bidzilya) ( SMNK).

Diagnosis. The new species can be recognised by the light brown forewing with indistinct marking, darkened costal margin and fold weakly mottled with dark brown. A distinct medial expansion on the valva, broad sacculus, very short vincular processes, stout wide saccus and slender, long and apically bifurcated phallus are characteristic for the male genitalia. This suite of characters is unique and is not observed in any other Scrobipalpula species. The female genitalia can immediately be recognised by a large egg-shaped bulge on right side near the entrance of ductus bursae and by the absence of signum. A somewhat similar corpus bursae with posterior expansions and reduced signum is characteristic for Scrobipalpula densata ( Meyrick, 1917) and Scrobipalpula fjeldsai Povolný, 1990 , but the corpus bursae in these species bears two posterior expansions rather than one as in S. onorei sp. nov., and the antrum is considerably shorter ( Povolný 1967: 96, fig. 91 (as Magnifacia aulorrhoa ( Meyrick, 1917) ; Povolný 1990: 190, fig. 49; Landry & Roque-Albelo 2010: 762, fig. 90; Cepeda 2019: 26, figs 21, 22). Scrobipalpula ilyella (Zeller, 1877) has also a somewhat similar bipartite corpus bursae, but differs in a less sclerotized and posteriorly constricted antrum ( Povolný 1967, fig. 126; Povolný 1981, fig. 3; Povolný 1990, fig. 55).

Description. Adult ( Figs 1–5 ). Wingspan 13–15 mm. Head, thorax and tegulae light brown, frons lighter, offwhite, labial palpus strongly upcurved and far protruded over head, palpomere 2 white on upper and inner side, outer surface distinctly mixed with light brown, underside with brush of modified scales, dark brown with greyish-white tips, palpomere 3 about half length and half width of palpomere 2, white with broad brown basal and medial belt ( Figs 2, 3 ); scape light brown with grey apex, flagellomeres brown grey-ringed; base of forewing underside with pencil of long black hairs in male and brown hairs in female ( Figs 4, 5 ); forewing ( Fig. 1 ) covered with light grey brown- to ochreous-brown tipped scales, costal margin mottled with dark brown to 2/3¬3/4 length, ochreous suffusion along veins, two diffuse brown spots in cell, fold slightly mottled with dark brown, very indistinct diffuse white transverse subapical fascia at 3/4, cilia grey brown-tipped; hindwing grey with darker veins, cilia light grey.

Male genitalia ( Figs 6, 7 ). Uncus subrectanguar, slightly longer than broad, weakly constricted medially, posterior margin gradually bent, with short medial incision; transtilla pillow-like, extending to 3/4 length of uncus; gnathos twice shorter than uncus, gradually narrowed from base to mid length, then widened, distal margin with pointed adducted lateral corners and very short medial hump; tegumen broad at base, then narrowed to 2/3 and widened before uncus, anteromedial emargination broadly rounded, extending to half length of tegumen; valva weakly curved from base to 1/3, then direct, with distinct expansion at 1/3, covered with hairs in distal 2/3, apex rounded, extending to posterior margin of uncus; sacculus about 2/3 width and 1/7–1/8 length of valva, weakly curved inwards, with pointed tip; vinculum as broad as long, anteromedial emargination narrow, V-shaped, vincular processes as right triangular, with distinct tip, shorter than sacculus; saccus stout, broad, narrowed apically, far extending beyond top of pedunculus; phallus as long as combined length of saccus and tegumen, slender, weakly broadened from base to 1/3, then gradually narrowed towards rounded apex, straight, weakly bent at 1/3, dorsal side with short subapical process, bulbus ejaculatorius rounded or moderately elongated, lamina indistinct.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 8 ). Papillae anales short, subtriangular, covered with strong setae; apophyses posteriores about 3.5x as long as segment VIII and about 2.5x as long as apophyses anteriores; segment VIII subrectangular, about as broader as long; subgenital plates about 1/3 width of sternum VIII, with fold at distal 1/4 of medial margin and slender sclerotised band extending from base of apophyses anteriores to 3/4 of medial margin; apophyses anteriores longer than sternite VIII, weakly bent at 2/3; ductus bursae very slender, broadened in distal 1/5, colliculum long, strongly sclerotised, antrum funnel-shaped, strongly sclerotised laterally, anteriorely narrowing and extending to 2/3 length of apophyses anteriores; corpus bursae as long as ductus bursae with antrum, gradually broadened anteriorly, with large egg-shaped bulge on right side near the entrance of ductus bursae; no signum.

Biology. Adults have been collected in November-December in Las Pampas (holotype) and Volcano Cotopaxi (paratypes) at the altitude of 3000 m.

Distribution. Ecuador.

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Prof. Giovanni Onore (Quito, Ecuador), the collector of the type series of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Scrobipalpula onorei sp. nov., adult. 1. Male, holotype. 2. Head, lateral view, male, holotype. 3. Head, frontolateral view, female, paratype. 4, 5. Head, thorax and basal part of wings, ventral view. Arrow indicates hair pencil. 4. Male, holotype. 5. Female, paratype.

FIGURES 6–8. Scrobipalpula onorei sp. nov. 6, 7, Male genitalia. 6. Holotype male, unrolled, gen. slide 206/21, O. Bidzilya. 7. Ventral view, paratype male, gen. slide 218/21, O. Bidzilya, 8. Female genitalia, paratype, gen. slide 212/21, O. Bidzilya.