Paromphacodes alpha Lindt, Tasane, Õunap

Lindt, Aare, Tasane, Tõnis, Õunap, Erki & Viidalepp, Jaan, 2017, Five new species of the genus Paromphacodes (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae) from High Andes in Ecuador, Zootaxa 4303 (3), pp. 395-406 : 402

Paromphacodes alpha Lindt, Tasane, Õunap , & Viidalepp sp. nov.

(Figs 3, 8)

Holotype: ♂, Ecuador [Chimborazo prov.], Alao , 3560 m, 17.iv.2007, 01°52’55”S, 78°28’31”W, Holotype ID IZBE 0 122047, (slide 8325), DNA voucher 32v, BIN: BOLD:ACZ1305. The Holotype is deposited in the IZBE insect collection, Tartu, Estonia . Paratypes, 2♂, the same collecting data but DNA vouchers 29v, BIN: BOLD: ACZ 1305, and DNA voucher 34v, (slides 203); 1♂, Ecuador, [ Cotopaxi prov. ], Cotopaxi 3560 m, 16.iv.2007, 00°38'59”S, 78°30'41”W (A. Lindt), DNA voucher 29v, BIN: BOLD: ACZ 1305, (slide 8915) . 3♂, Ecuador, Pichincha Prov., 3 km NO Nono , 3062 m, 0°02'52"S, 78°35'32"W, 22.x.2011, leg. V. Sinaev & O. Romanov ( DNA barcodes: BC ZSM Lep 92527, 90582, 90630). Paratypes are deposited in the IZBE collection, in the ZSM collection and in the private collection of A. Lindt.

Diagnosis. Similar with P. alticola sp. nov. from Cotopaxi in its male genitalia (Fig. 8), wing pattern and colour, differing in colour of fringe which are unchequered, lined basally thinner and dark grey-brown rather than red-brown, and with DNA barcode difference 14.6–16.5% ( Tab. 1). Compared to P. onae sp. nov., lacking hind wing discal spots; the ventral edge of the costal plate is slimly folded, much less than in P. alticola sp. nov. and P. onae sp. nov.

Description. Wing span, 25 mm. The frons is reddish in the upper half, whitish in the lower part; the interantennal fillet is white, the vertex green, a red-brown line in between. The palpi are red-brown, slightly projecting beyond the frons. The pectinations of male antennae are 2.5 times longer than the diameter of the shaft. The thorax and dorsum of abdomen are green, a white spot at the tergite A1 is edged dark brown, while the white spots at tergites A2 and A3 are surrounded light brown. The forewings are deep green, the hindwings white. The costal edge of the forewing is white, lined yellowish, while the marginal line, the discal and postmedial spots are red-brown. The postmedial vein-spots are in a straight row. The fringe is dark grey basally, shining white distally, unchequered. Male genitalia in series of slides differ from those of P. alticola sp. nov. in the slightly smoother shape of the costal expansion of the valva. P. alpha sp. nov. and P. alticola sp. nov. are not discernible according to their wing pattern but by their DNA barcodes. See the diagnosis and description of P. alticola sp. nov. described above.

Female and preimaginal stages unknown.

Biology. The species is confined to high Andine grass-parámo belt.

Genetic data. Nearest neighbour on BOLD Paromphacodes alticola (KP2 minimum pairwise distance 14.5%).

Derivatio nominis. The first letter in Greek alphabet: alpha .