Cossula coerulescens, Schaus, 1911

Davis, Steve R., Gentili-Poole, Patricia & Mitter, Charles, 2008, A revision of the Cossulinae of Costa Rica and cladistic analysis of the world species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154 (2), pp. 222-277 : 265-267

COSSULA COERULESCENS ( SCHAUS, 1911)

( FIGS 37, 38 , 75, 76 , 100 , 119, 120 , 141)

Cossula coerulescens Schaus, 1911: 633 .

Cossula caerulescens Dalla Torre, 1923: 29 [misspelling].

Allostylus coerulescens ( Schaus, 1911) Hering, 1923: 12 ; Donahue, 1995: 126.

Male ( Fig. 37 ): Forewing length: 28–31 mm.

Head: Antenna dark brown to fuscous and black; labial palpus crimson with some fuscous scales; frons crimson with fuscous to rusty dark brown; vertex mostly rusty dark brown, sometimes with crimson and fuscous.

Thorax: Patagia mostly fuscous and dark rustybrown, with row of crimson scales; dorsum and tegula fuscous, irrorated with white; pleura with elongate crimson patch; venter and legs mostly dark brown and fuscous with a white band at distal end of each tarsomere. Forewing fuscous with a dark grey shimmer dorsally; irrorated with white, with transverse dark fuscous striae interspersed throughout wing, but mostly concentrated along inner and costal margins; a dark, velvety fuscous patch at middle of discal cell; terminal patch similar to latter patch, but with two large, curved, crimson bands, the more distal band beginning at R 4 and ending midway between M 2 and M 3, and the more proximal, slightly fainter band beginning at R 4 and ending at CuA 1; fringe banded dark fuscous and white; forewing fuscous to dark brown ventrally, with a purplish bluegreen iridescence; terminal patch in ventral view similar to dorsal view. Hindwing dark brown to fuscous with purplish blue-green iridescence dorsally and ventrally; fringe mostly white, irrorated with black.

Abdomen: Dark brown to fuscous with purplish bluegreen iridescence dorsally and ventrally; dark brown and fuscous furry patch along A1–A3 dorsally; A8 crimson.

Male genitalia ( Figs 75, 76 , 100 ): Valva broad basally, narrowing slightly and rounded apically; length of valva approximately 0.7¥ length of genital capsule; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.4¥ length of genital capsule; saccular process lenticular, broad basally and narrowing terminally to a triangular point; juxta process somewhat elongate; gnathos with apical region bearing heavily sclerotized, rounded teeth; uncus with apex bifurcate and rather wide. Aedoeagus with outwardly curved rostellum laterally; rostellum rounded apically, and two flattened lobes on coecum as viewed ventrally.

Female ( Fig. 38 ): Forewing length: 29–31 mm.

Head: Antennae same as male; labial palpi light rusty-brown to brown dorsally and ventrally; frons dark rusty-brown with brown scales; vertex a darker rusty-brown to fuscous.

Thorax: Patagia mostly fuscous with some dark rustybrown dorsally and some crimson laterally; dorsum and tegula creamy white, irrorated with fuscous and rusty-brown; pleura mostly greyish cream with some light fuscous; venter a darker greyish cream with more fuscous. Legs with femur and tibia interspersed with cream, grey, light brown, brown and fuscous, with fuscous mostly on tibia; tarsi light brown to brown, with creamy white at distal end of each tarsomere. Forewing interspersed with areas of greyish cream, creamy white, tan, and light and dark fuscous dorsally; short, transverse fuscous striae along costal and inner margin; large fuscous patch traversing middle of discal cell; terminal patch with a dark to light brown middle and fuscous margins, although fuscous is rather interspersed throughout patch; fringe mostly fuscous; forewing brown ventrally, with slight purple and light orange iridescence. Hindwing brown dorsally and ventrally, with slight purple and light orange iridescence; fringe mostly brown with some creamy white scales interspersed.

Abdomen: Brown with some creamy grey dorsally and ventrally; light to dark brown furry patch at A1–2.

Female genitalia ( Figs 119, 120 ): Genitalia wide and relatively shortened; sternite 8 developed and triangular, with a membranous line along the midline of the sclerite; intersegmental membrane between abdominal sternites 7 and 8 smooth, forming two broad lobes on either side of ostium; ductus bursae somewhat long, with many longitudinal cuticular wrinkles; corpus bursae small, spherical and slightly oblong, approximately 0.5¥ length of bursa copulatrix.

Distribution: Known only from Costa Rica.

Holotype: ♂; COSTA RICA: [CARTAGO]: Tuis, viii, Type 17316 ( USNM) [examined].

Material examined: COSTA RICA: [CARTAGO]: Sitio , 1 ♂, i., 2 ♂, May, slide USNM 96069 , 1 ♂, vi.9, Schaus and Barnes, slides USNM 85121 , 85606 , 96056 ( USNM). CARTAGO: Juan Vinas: 1 ♂, vi., Schaus and Barnes ( USNM). Tuis : 1 ♂, August, E. T . Owen ( USNM). Paraíso, Parque Nacional Tapanti, Macizo de la Muerte, al Costado de Casa Adm. , 1200 m: 1 ♂, vi.2000, R . Delgado ( INBio). GUANA- CASTE : Estación Pitilla, 9 km S. Sta. Cecilia , 700 m: 1 ♂, 10.ix.–22.x.1990, P. Rios & C. Moraga ( INBio). Hojancha, R . F. Monte Alto, 350 m: 1 ♀, 20–25.v.2001, H. Mendez ( INBio). Z. P. Nosara, Fila Maravilla, 800 m: 1 ♀, 9–14.v.2002, H. Mendez, Trampa de luz ( USNM). Z. P. Tenorio, Sector Alto Los Masis, 1100 m: 1 ♂, 10–14.vi.2002, M. Moraga ( INBio). Sector Sendero Volcán, 3.5 km SSW del Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, 1100 m: 1 ♀, 5–24.viii.1994, D. Garcia, slide USNM 85655 ( USNM). SAN JOSÉ: Estación Zurqui (el Tunel), Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo , 1500 m: 1 ♂, ix.1985, W. I. & A. Chacon ( INBio) .

Host: Unknown.

Flight period: May to September.

Discussion: This species is one of the more attractive in Cossulinae . The iridescent metallic blue and purple scaling of the hindwings, crimson subterminally on the forewing and ventrally on the thorax and patagia,

and at the tip of the abdomen readily distinguish coerulescens from all other species.

Figures

Figures 32–43. Adults: 32, male, Magulacra niveogrisea; 33, female, Magulacra niveogrisea; 34, male, Cossula arpi; 35, female, Cossula arpi; 36, male, Cossula buspina; 37, male, Cossula coerulescens; 38, female, Cossula coerulescens; 39, male, Cossula cossuloides; 40, female, Cossula cossuloides; 41, male, Cossula duplex; 42, female, Cossula duplex; 43, male, Cossula duplexata. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.

Figures 65–76. Male genitalia. Spinulata quasivinnea: 65, genital capsule; 66, aedoeagus. Simplicivalva ampliophilobia: 67, genital capsule; 68, aedoeagus. Magulacra niveogrisea: 69, genital capsule; 70, aedoeagus. Cossula arpi: 71, genital capsule; 72, aedoeagus. Cossula buspina: 73, genital capsule; 74, aedoeagus. Cossula coerulescens: 75, genital capsule; 76, aedoeagus.

Figures 95–100. Male genitalia, lateral view of genital capsule: 95, Spinulata quasivinnea; 96, Simplicivalva ampliophilobia; 97, Magulacra niveogrisea; 98, Cossula arpi; 99, Cossula buspina; 100, Cossula coerulescens. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figures 119–124. Female genitalia and enlargement of ostium and sternite 8: Cossula coerulescens: 119, genitalia; 120, enlargement. Cossula cossuloides: 121, genitalia; 122, enlargement. Cossula duplex: 123, genitalia; 124, enlargement.