Megalota crassana Brown, 2009
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2279.1.1 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038E7928-FFDA-FF84-FDA8-E58FFDA5FCE9 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Megalota crassana Brown |
| status |
sp. nov. |
18. Megalota crassana Brown View in CoL , new species Figs. 18 View FIGURES 13–24 , 42 View FIGURES 40–42 , 62 View FIGURES 60–63
Diagnosis. Megalota crassana is superficially similar to M. gutierrezi , M. deceptana , and M. bicolorana , but in fresh specimens there is an ill-defined, brownish olivaceous triangular patch near mid-dorsum that is absent in those species. The male has a bushy hind tibia and associated hairpencil that is primarily dark gray compared to the mostly cream-colored tuft of M. gutierrezi , M. bicolorana , and M. deceptana . The male genitalia of M. crassana have a single large, dense cluster of spiniform setae near mid-valva and lack the secondary patch of elongate setae that subtends the spiniform patch in M. gutierrezi , M. deceptana , and M. bicolorana . The phallus of M. crassana lacks external thorns, whereas that of M. gutierrezi has a single apical thorn, M. deceptana has a single subapical thorn, and M. bicolorana has a submesal thorn and occasionally a tiny subapical thorn. The female genitalia of M. crassana have a small, rounded-triangular lobe at the posterior edge of the ostium lacking in M. gutierrezi , M. deceptana , and M. bicolorana , and the signum is considerably smaller than in those three species.
Description. Head: Vertex pinkish brown, frons creamy white with white spot at lower edge; labial palpus mixed creamy white, pinkish brown, and dark brown. Thorax: Dorsum pale creamy brown with glossy gray-brown scaling on tegula; metascutum with well-developed, copper scale tuft. Hind tibia in male with dense, dark gray, modified sex scaling and hairpencil. Forewing length 7.5–8.0 mm (mean = 7.8); basal 0.33 somewhat checkered dark brown, pinkish brown, and copper, bordered distally by a pale, ill-defined, oblique fascia, broadest at dorsum, with olive and creamy white scales; a dark semicircular patch at costa between ca. 0.45 and 0.75 distance from base to apex; a small, slender, oblong brown patch near mid-termen approaching costa ca. 0.75 from base to apex, ending bluntly before reaching costa; tornus with patch of shiny pale pinkish brown scales. Fringe brown. Hindwing dark brown, anal margin in male with distinct fold bearing long, slen- der, cream-colored scales. Abdomen: Glossy gray brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 42 View FIGURES 40–42 ; 3 View FIGURES 1–12 preparations examined) with tegumen subrectangular, slightly narrowed dorso-posteriorly, with lobelike expansion just before junction with uncus; uncus large, bilobed, with deep mid-dorsal notch; valva with irregular, angulate expansion near middle; cluster of spiniform setae ca. 0.5 distance from base to apex, with setae comparatively thick, short, converging distally; second patch of setae absent; basal process of valva slender, about 6 times as long as wide, elbowed near middle on inner surface, weakly spined from elbow to apex, strongly spined apically. Phallus only slightly curved, without external thorns; vesica with a single small cornutus. Female genitalia ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 60–63 ; 2 View FIGURES 1–12 preparations examined) with papillae anales simple, unmodified; sterigma a narrow, ill-defined band restricted to meso-ventral region, with a small triangular lobe with rounded apex mesally; colliculum occupying slightly less than posterior 0.5 of ductus bursae, with long, strongly sclerotized region on right side, remainder of ductus bursae membranous; corpus bursae oblong-round, signum a short, triangular sclerite, with rounded vertex, lacking sclerotized base.
Holotype. Male, Costa Rica, Alajuela Province, Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Rincon Rainforest , Camino Río Francia, 410 m, 02-SRNP-6698, 13 Mar 2002, em: 28 Mar 2002, r. f. unknown plant, J. Perez ( USNM), USNM slide 95,342.
Paratypes (7♂, 3♀). COSTA RICA: Alajuela: Area Conservación de Guanacaste, Rincon Rainforest , 02- SRNP-6697, 13 Mar 2002, em: 26 Mar 2002 (1♀), 02-SRNP-6696, em: 25 Mar 2002 (1♀), r. f. unknown plant, 03-SRNP-10778, 16 Apr 2003, em: 5 May 2003 (1♂), 05-SRNP-40407, 3 Feb 2005, em: 22 Feb 2005 (1♂), 05-SRNP-40408, em: 25 Feb 2005 (1♂), both r.f. Croton billbergianus, J. Perez (USNM) . Area Conservación de Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Pasmompa , 03-SRNP-21032, 4 Sep 2003, em: 25 Sep 2003 (1♀), r.f. Croton billbergianus, C. Moraga , 03-SRNP-20907, 4 Sep 2003, em: 29 Sep 2003 (1♂), r.f. Croton billbergianus, P. Rios (USNM) . Guanacaste: Area Conservación de Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Amonias , 390 m, 06- SRNP-30881, 13 Feb 2006, em: 7 Mar 2006 (1♂), r.f. Croton billbergianus, C. Moraga (USNM) . Puntarenas: Est. Quebrada Bonita, Res. Biol. Carara , 50 m, Jan 1991 (1♂), R. Zuniga ( INBio) .
Other Material Examined. PANAMA: Porto Bello , Dec 1912 (1♂), A. Busck ( USNM) .
Distribution and Biology. This species is recorded from the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and adjacent Panama. With the exception of the single specimen from Panama, the entire type series was reared from Croton billbergianus Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) (or an unknown plant, presumably Croton ) at Area de Conservación Guanascaste ( Janzen and Hallwachs 2007).
Remarks. While the phallus usually is extremely uniformly within species of Megalota , that of the specimen from Panama deviates from its putative conspecifics in having two groups of three cornuti in contrast to the single cornutus in all other specimens (all from Costa Rica). However, because the Panamanian specimen agrees well in all other features, it is included under M. crassana but not included in the type series.
Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin “crass” meaning dense or thick, and refers to the dense cluster of spiniform setae on the valva.
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