Haruchlora Viidalepp & Lindt

Viidalepp, Jaan & Lindt, Aare, 2014, Haruchlora maesi, a new emerald moth genus and species from Mesoamerica (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Geometrinae), Zootaxa 3869 (2), pp. 165-170 : 166

Haruchlora Viidalepp & Lindt , gen. nov.

Figs 1, 3–5 , 9 .

Type species: Haruchlora maesi Viidalepp & Lindt , sp. nov.

Description. ADULT ( Figs 1 , 9 ). Wings thinly scaled. Emerald green moths with ante- and postmedial lines of forewing as short brown-grey streaks along veins with attached white spots. Antennae shortly bipectinate in male. Hindwing with veins Rs and M1 stalked, M3 and CuA1 separated, the subcostal vein touching the anterior margin of discal cell at one point. Abdominal tergites green, anterior ones with white blotches surrounded with red-brown outline. Third sternite of male abdomen with pair fields of modified, deciduous scales (inferred from presence of enlarged scale bases—thecae). Hind legs with two pairs of spurs, distance between spur pairs exceeding the length of spurs; hair pencil present.

PREGENITAL AND GENITAL STRUCTURES ( Figs 3–5 ). Male abdominal sternite A8 shorter than tergite A8, with anterior edge straight, posterior edge with two short finger-like projections bearing long hair pencils ( Fig. 5 ). Vinculum rounded, shorter than tegumen, tegumen higher and much slenderer than vinculum ( Fig. 3 ). Uncus long, apically bifid, the distal portions curved outwardly. Socii outcurved laterally lyre-shaped. Gnathos a broad loop with minute distal triangular tip. Valva without costal basal process; a long serrate harpe from base of valva, projecting beyond costal edge. Another sclerotised costal process projecting from dorso-distal costal edge towards the tip of valva. Juxta small, without ventral papilla (ventral funnel-like invagination of juxta following Pitkin 1993). Coremata short. Aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ) as in Nemoria and Lissochlora ( Fig. 7 ), short spoon-shaped, apex of anellar plate rounded, lateral spur to aedeagus absent.

Diagnosis. The shape of uncus and that of sternite A8, the presence of harpe on valva are genus-level characters for Haruchlora , gen. nov.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Haruchlora maesi, sp. nov., male specimen on screen before it has been trapped.

FIGURES 1 – 8. Moths and the male genitalia of Haruchlora, gen. nov., and Lissochlora Warren. 1, 3 – 5 — Haruchlora maesi, sp. nov.: 1 — holotype male (Nicaragua), 3 – 5 — the male genitalia and male abdominal sternite A 8 of a paratype (Nicaragua). 2 — Lissochlora inconspicua (Bastelberger), female (Nicaragua). 6 – 8 — Lissochlora albociliaria (Herrich-Schäffer), the male genitalia and male abdominal sternite A 8 (Ecuador). 3, 6 — male genital armature, 4, 7 — aedeagus, 5, 8 — male abdominal sternite A 8.