Leichosila wagneri Schmidt, 2009

Schmidt, Christian, 2009, A new genus and two new species of arctiine tiger moth (Noctuidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) from Costa Rica, ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 89-96 : 95

Leichosila wagneri Schmidt , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:98429FDA-3B9D-44BA-8259-6D83D11CFFBB

(Figs. 2, 4, 7)

Type material. Holotype male – “C[osta]. RICA: Heredia: / 6 km ENE Vara Blanca , / 1950-2050m, 10°11’N / 84 07’W; 15 ii 2002 / David L. Wagner coll”; “INBio-OET- ALAS / transect / 20/L/01/011”; “Project / ALAS / INB0003216237”; “ HOLOTYPE / Leichosila / wagneri / Schmidt” [red label]; “Genitalia / CNC slide # / 14541”; deposited in INBIO.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from L. talamanca by the smaller size and darker colouration of L. wagneri , and by the genitalic characters given under the diagnosis for L. talamanca .

Description. A detailed description is given above in the genus description. Characters specific to L. wagneri are as follows: Male (female unknown). Forewing – length 13.4 (n = 1); ground colour dark grey. Hindwing – ground colour dark grey, with indistinct, irregular dark grey subterminal spots and medial spot. Male genitalia – Uncus parallelsided basally, then tapering apically, i. e. bottle-shaped in dorsal profile (Fig. 7); vesica with left diverticulum of two ventro-basal diverticula conical and pointed (Fig. 4b).

Etymology. This species is named after David L. Wagner, who collected the type specimen, and whose studies continue to vastly improve our knowledge of the larval biology of North American Lepidoptera .

Distribution and biology. Leichosila wagneri is known only from the type specimen, collected in high elevation forest (1950-2050 m) on Volcán Barva (Cordillera Central) in mid February.