Blastobasis usurae Adamski

Adamski, David, 2013, Review of the Blastobasinae of Costa Rica (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Blastobasidae), Zootaxa 3618 (1), pp. 1-223 : 50

Blastobasis usurae Adamski , new species

( Figs. 97–98 , 292 , 335 , Map 13)

Diagnosis.— Blastobasis usurae is similar to B. echus in facies but differs from the latter by having a narrower anal opening; the sockets of tergal setae not extending beyond the midlength of the tegumen; a narrower proximal flange of the dorsal part of the valva; and a smaller phallus. B. usurae also has a subquadrate pigmented part of the gnathos; and an apex of the anellus that is shallowly emarginate mesially, that are lacking in B. echus .

Description.—Head: Vertex and frontoclypeus brown [with scales missing]. Outer and inner surfaces of labial palpus pale brown. Antennal scape pale brown; first flagellomere in male dilated, inner surface of dilated part with 32 palmate sex scales (n=1), ( Fig. 292 ); [apical flagella missing]. Proboscis pale brown.

Thorax: Tegula and mesonotum pale brown. Legs pale brown. Forewing ( Fig. 335 ): Length 4.9 mm (n = 1), pale brown intermixed with few brown scales; cell with three spots, one spot near middle, two spots on apical end along crossvein. Undersurface brown. Hindwing: Translucent pale brown.

Abdomen: Male genitalia ( Figs. 97–98 ): Uncus slightly narrowed from base, broadly rounded apically, slightly downcurved, sparsely setose, shorter than width of anal opening. Dorsal strut of tegumen absent. Gnathos wide, confluent with tegumen, posteroventral margin slightly protracted mesially, bidentate; midwidth of pigmented part of gnathos wider than midwidth of uncus. Sockets of tergal setae not extending beyond midlength of tegumen. Valva divided; ventral part angled dorsolaterally from beyond base, abruptly narrowed apically, forming inwardly curved spinelike process; process setose on outer surface, planate on inner surface; ventral margin setose from about 1/5, upturned slightly, forming narrow fold to near slightly raised setose lobe at base of spinelike process; dorsal part with apical portion of costa extending dorsolaterally, forming setose digitate process; digitate process broadly curved inwardly; area beneath costa overlaid with sparse microtrichiate membrane, extending above and below phallus to opposite side; basal ridge of digitate process protracted ventrally fusing with dorsolateral ridge of proximal flange; ventral margin of proximal flange linear, extending laterally forming broadly rounded, apicoventral ridge; proximal flange bearing conical setae intermixed with sparse microtrichiae. Juxta bandlike. Vinculum semicircular. Phallus and sclerite of phallus shorter than valva; sclerite of phallus acutely curved near 2/ 3; anellus slightly narrowed apically from widened base, shallowly emarginate apically, setose. Female Genitalia: Unknown.

Holotype, 3, “F[in]ca Jenny, 30 km N de Liberia, P[arque] N[acional] Guanacaste, Prov[incia] Guan[acaste], COSTA RICA, R. Espinoza, Jun[io] 1991, L-N-316200, 364400”, “INBio: COSTA RICA: CRI000, 324228” [barcode label], “INBio 3 Genitalia Slide by D. Adamski, No. 3443” [yellow label].

Distribution (Map 13). Blastobasis usurae is known from one collecting site in northwestern Costa Rica southwest of the Cordillera de Guanacaste in the dry-forest region.

Etymology. The specific epithet usurae is derived from the Latin usura meaning, enjoyment.

Figures

FIGURES 93 – 98. Male genitalia of Blastobasinae. 93 – 94, Blastobasis babae (slide 3939). 95 – 96, Blastobasis thyone (slide 3896). 97 – 98, Blastobasis usurae (slide 3443).

FIGURES 292 – 299. Male sex scales on first flagellomere of Blastobasis. 292, Blastobasis usurae. 293, Blastobasis echus. 294, Blastobasis litis. 295, Blastobasis chanes. 296, Blastobasis fax. 297, Blastobasis coffeaella (Busck, 1925). 298, Blastobasis rotullae. 299, Blastobasis custodis.

FIGURES 328 – 335. Imagos of Blastobasinae. 328, Blastobasis xiphiae, holotype. 329, Blastobasis graminea Adamski, 1999. 330, Blastobasis neniae, holotype. 331, Blastobasis achaea, holotype. 332, Blastobasis orithyia, holotype. 333, Blastobasis babae, holotype. 334, Blastobasis thyone, holotype. 335, Blastobasis usurae, holotype.