Aloba carolinae Ramos-Gonzalez & Parra

I. Ramos-Gonzalez, Mario, Zamora-Manzur, Carlos, Saladrigas Menes, Dania & E. Parra 1, Luis, 2019, The Trichopterygini (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) of Austral South America: description of new species from Chile, ZooKeys 832, pp. 91-111 : 92-94

Aloba carolinae Ramos-Gonzalez & Parra sp. n. Figures 1, 2, 9, 10, 17

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished from A. cinereus (Bartlett-Calvert) by the following characteristics: saccus-vinculum broader, accessorial bristles in setal tuft apically undulated, and corpus bursae with the inner surface of its anterior half completely covered with microspines. Externally, this species stands out for its reduced wingspan and for the feather-like extended hindwing apex in males.

Description.

Male (Fig. 1). Head: antennae filiform, subapically broadened; palpi short, subequal to eye diameter and slightly tilted upwards. Thorax: Patagia and tegulae covered by piliform grayish scales. Forewings: background color ashy gray; termen rounded, with piliform ashy scales; basal band blackish brown; antemedial band slender, blackish brown, and surrounded by two stripes of ashy-white scales; medial band blackish brown, with a small and subrounded ashy spot on the costal third, medial band with proximal margin arcuate and distal margin with five undulations. Some specimens, in both sexes, with a blackish spot near half of the band and the subrounded ashy spot on the costal third is absent or located in the anal third; postmedial band slender blackish brown and surrounded with two stripes of ashy-white scales; subterminal band zigzagging of whitish scales; apical spot on the wing apex subquadrate and blackish. This spot connects with subterminal band; terminal band formed by a dashed stripe of short blackish spots; distal spot present and blackish. Hindwings: ashy-white, reduced, one-third the length of forewings, triangular with prolonged apex, anal margin with no visible modification; discal spot not visible. Wing venation in males (Fig. 17): same as the genus. Male genitalia (Fig. 9): valvae ensiform, cucullus apically projected, sclerotized costa, subapical setal tuft brush-like with thick, large and undulated individual accessory bristles; saccus subrounded; juxta with quadrate base and posterior apex indented, with two sclerotized and disjointed S-shaped lateral processes, which extend to the height of the transtilla; socius triangular; transtilla projected in a Y-shaped, with apices equal in length. Aedeagus tubular; cornuti arranged as a longitudinal group in the vesica. Female (Fig. 2). Similar to male, but with filiform antennae slighter and hindwings not reduced, quadrangular and ashy-grey. Female genitalia (Fig. 10): ductus bursae half the length of corpus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, subpyriform, with straight longitudinal striation that does not exceed one-third of corpus bursae; anterior region of corpus bursae with microspines on its entire inner surface; cestum present; posterior apophyses larger than anterior apophyses.

Type material.

Holotype: 1 ♂, pinned, Chile, Concepción, Fundo El Guindo Point 1A, 36°50.18'S, 73°1.40'W, 20-X-2014, leg. M. Ramos & C. Rose, "Holotype Aloba carolinae " [red handwritten label] (MZUC-UCCC); allotype: 1 ♀, pinned, with genitalia in microscope slide, Chile, Concepción, Fundo El Guindo Point 1B, 36°50.21'S, 73°1.39'W, 26-X-2014, leg. M. Ramos & C. Rose, "FGCR LP 109" [genitalia slide] "Allotype Aloba carolinae " [red handwritten label] (UCCC-MZUC).

Paratypes: 46 males, 5 females. Chile: Curicó: Los Queñes, 34°59.65'S, 70°48.78'W, 721 m, 10-II-2016, leg. M. Ramos & M. Astrosa (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); P.N. Radal Siete Tazas, 35°28'S, 71°W, 1100 m, 19-XII-2000, leg. Gielis [ID BC ZSM Lep 07419, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 07433, barcode sequence 658 bp] (2 ♂) (ZSM). Diguillín: Termas de Chillán, 05/11-II-2010, leg. G. Moreno (3 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 01/08-II-2011, leg. G. Moreno (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 03/10-I-2011, leg. G. Moreno (3 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 14/20-I-2012, leg. G. Moreno (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 16-I-1996, leg. unknown (3 ♂, 1 ♀) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 11-I-1996, leg. unknown (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 12-I-2017, leg. P. Bocaz (4 ♂); Las Trancas, Cabañas Bordenieve (IX FH), 36°54.83'S, 71° 29.69W, 1236 m, 13-I-2017, “Hoplo-005” [wing slide], leg. L. Parra, M. Ramos & C. Zamora-Manzur (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Las Trancas, 36°54'S, 71°28'W, 1400 m, 14-I-2001, leg. Gielis & Wolf [ID BC ZSM Lep 07435, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 07431, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 07417, barcode sequence 658 bp] (2 ♂, 1 ♀) (ZSM). Concepción: Concepción, 15-XII-1961 (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but "FGCR LP 011", "FGCR LP 012" and "FGCR LP 013" [genitalia slides] (4 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but 26-X-2014, female with "FGCR LP 096" [genitalia slide] (1 ♂, 1 ♀) (MZUC-UCCC); same as allotype but "FGCR LP 101" [genitalia slide] (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but 03-XI-2014 (4 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as allotype but 03-XI-2014, "FGCR LP 133" [genitalia slide] and "AMLP 103" [wing slide] (1 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but Point 1C 36°50.23'S, 73°1.39'W, 26-X-2014, "FGCR LP 103" [genitalia slide] and "AMLP 0088" [wing slide] (3 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but Point 2A 36°50.23'S, 73°1.47'W, 21-X-2014, "FGCR LP 110", "FGCR LP 132" [genitalia slide] and "AMLP 0102" [wing slide] (3 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); same as holotype but Point 2A 36°50.23'S, 73°1.47'W, 17-XI-2014 (2 ♂) (MZUC-UCCC); Chiguayante, 06 -III-2002, leg. P. Bocaz (1 ♀) (MZUC-UCCC). Cautín: 15 km NE from Colico Lake, 39°3'S, 71°49.02'W, 400 m, 03-XII-2000, leg. Gielis [ID BC ZSM Lep 03051, barcode sequence 613 bp] (1 ♂) (ZSM). Palena: Fiordo Comau, San Ignacio del Huinay, 42°22.82'S, 72°24.8'W, 35 m, 20-II-2008, leg. T. Roy [ID BC ZSM Lep 16933, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 16922, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 16936, barcode sequence 658 bp; ID BC ZSM Lep 16923, barcode sequence 658 bp] (3 ♂, 1 ♀) (ZSM).

Distribution.

This species occurs between Curicó and Palena provinces. It is distributed in parts of Santiago, Maule and Valdivian Forest biogeographic provinces, Central Chilean and Subantarctic subregions, Andean region.

Flight period.

Specimens were captured from October to March.

Molecular data.

BOLD:AAD7992. Ten available sequences of DNA barcode: BC ZSM Lep 07419 (Molina), BC ZSM Lep 07433 (Molina), BC ZSM Lep 07431 (Pinto), BC ZSM Lep 07417 (Pinto), BC ZSM Lep 07435 (Pinto), BC ZSM Lep 03051 (Cunco), BC ZSM Lep 16933 (Huinay), BC ZSM Lep 16922 (Huinay), BC ZSM Lep 16936 (Huinay), BC ZSM Lep 16923 (Huinay). Maximum intraspecific distance: 0.76%; Minimum genetic distance with A. cinereus : 9.35%.

Etymology.

The species name is dedicated to the collector and biologist Carolina Rose Garrido, Concepción, Chile.