Spinulata oblongata, Davis & Gentili-Poole & Mitter, 2008

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 : 255

SPINULATA OBLONGATA SP. NOV.

( FIGS 28 , 63, 64 , 94 , 138)

Male ( Fig. 28 ): Forewing length: 17 mm.

Head: Antenna pale brown; labial palpi cream ventrally, brown dorsally; frons cream; vertex with scales cream basally and rusty-brown apically.

Thorax: Patagia same colour as vertex. Dorsum and tegula same as patagia except scales brown to rustybrown apically; metathorax brown; pleura creamy white; venter creamy white, lightly irrorated with brown, with a small brown patch directly behind head. Legs with femur and tibia cream mesally and cream irrorated with brown laterally; tarsi brown, irrorated with cream. Forewing greyish brown dorsally; one large, dark rusty-brown spot immediately before middle, and several smaller spots of same colour dispersed around larger spot; several striae traversing distal half of wing, alternating between a darker and lighter brown; basal two-thirds of costal margin with short fuscous striae; fringe brown to cream; forewing brown ventrally with faint brown, transverse striae; cream to pale brown apically. Hindwing brown dorsally and ventrally; fringe mostly cream with some pale brown.

Abdomen: Rusty-brown dorsally; pale brown and cream ventrally; A8 cream.

Male genitalia ( Figs 63, 64 , 94 ): Valva rounded at apex; length of valva approximately 0.7¥ length of genital capsule; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.5¥ length of genital capsule. Saccular process with an oblong patch of spines. Juxta process elongate. Gnathos broadly curved. Uncus elongate and digitiform, with acute apex. Aedoeagus slightly curved, tapering to an acute rostellum as viewed laterally; apex subacute as viewed ventrally.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution: Known only from the provinces of Puntarenas and Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and Pichincha, Ecuador.

Holotype: ♂; COSTA RICA: GUANACASTE: Sector Las Pailas, 4.5 km SW del Volcán Rincón de la Vieja , 800 m, 23.vii.–6.viii.1995, K. Taylor, slide USNM 85637 ( INBio).

Paratypes: COSTA RICA: PUNTARENAS: Sendero El Ripario 3 km NE del Progreso , 1300 m: 1 ♂, 7–9.v.1997, A. P. Luz, slide USNM 85784 , ( USNM) . ECUADOR: PICHINCHA: Tinalandia , 700 m, 1 ♂, 19.v.1985, C. V . Covell Jr., slide USNM 85726 ( USNM) .

Host: Unknown.

Flight period: May and August.

Etymology: Derived from the Latin ‘oblongus’ meaning ‘longer than broad’. Spinulata oblongata refers to the elongate, oblong shape of the spine patch on the valvae in the male genitalia.

Discussion: This species can be differentiated from other members of the maruga species group by characters of the male genitalia and wing pattern. The hindwing of this species is entirely medium to dark brown in colour, in contrast to other members in this complex, which have cream or light brown hindwings, or in a few specimens, shaded partially with cream and partially with light brown. This species also posesses a greater number of dark brown spots on the forewing than any other species in the complex. The arrangement of spots in oblongata also differs in possessing a greater number of spots in the longitudinal row nearest the inner margin than in maruga .

The male genitalia exhibit several characters that distinguish oblongata from other members of the maruga species group. Most notable is the shape of the spine patch protruding from the sacculus on the male valvae ( Fig. 63 ). This patch is oblong and nearly a figure of eight in shape, with the middle of the patch slightly constricted. The saccular processes of the maruga group differ in being larger, usually with many acute angles that are often elongate. The lateral margins of the spine patch are more angular in oblongata .

Figures

Figures 20–31. Adults: 20, male, Biocellata alfarae; 21, female, Biocellata alfarae; 22, male, Biocellata bifida; 23, male, Biocellata davisorum; 24, male, Spinulata acutipennis; 25, female, Spinulata acutipennis; 26, male, Spinulata manes; 27, female, Spinulata manes; 28, male, Spinulata oblongata; 29, male, Spinulata quasivinnea; 30, female, Spinulata quasivinnea; 31, male, Simplicivalva ampliophilobia. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.

Figures 53–64. Male genitalia. Biocellata alfarae: 53, genital capsule; 54, aedoeagus. Biocellata bifida: 55, genital capsule; 56, aedoeagus. Biocellata davisorum: 57, genital capsule; 58, aedoeagus. Spinulata acutipennis: 59, genital capsule; 60, aedoeagus. Spinulata manes: 61, genital capsule; 62, aedoeagus. Spinulata oblongata: 63, genital capsule; 64, aedoeagus.

Figures 89–94. Male genitalia, lateral view of genital capsule: 89, Biocellata alfarae; 90, Biocellata bifida; 91, Biocellata davisorum; 92, Spinulata acutipennis; 93, Spinulata manes; 94, Spinulata oblongata. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.