Oospila agnetaforslundae Lindt, Hausmann & Viidalepp

Lindt, Aare, Hausmann, Axel & Viidalepp, Jaan, 2018, Review of some species groups of the genus Oospila Warren, with descriptions of nine new species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae), Zootaxa 4497 (2), pp. 151-194 : 160-161

Oospila agnetaforslundae Lindt, Hausmann & Viidalepp

(nom. nov. for the preoccupied name Leptolopha marginata Schaus, 1912 )

(Figs 10, 46, 72)

Leptolopha marginata Schaus, 1912 (junior secondary homonym of Oospila marginata Warren, 1897 , the latter being a valid congeneric species): 292 (ex errore synonymized with O. permagna by Cook & Scoble 1995); Prout 1932: 52. Oospila permagna ( Warren, 1909) (misidentified): Viidalepp, Viidalepp & Maes 2010: 36.

Material. 6♂ ♀, Nicaragua, Grenada prov., Domitila, 28.05– 01.06.2008 (slide 8049)(J. Viidalepp & V. Viidalepp); 1♀, Costa Rica, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Pitilla, Ingas, 11.003° -85.42°, 580m, 12.08.2005, leg. Calixto Moraga, coll. UPEN ( DNA barcode 05-SRNP-32321); 1♀, id., Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Pasmompa, 11.019° -85.41°, 440m ( DNA barcode 07-SRNP-32859); 1♀, id. ( DNA barcode 07-SRNP-32859); 1♂, id., Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Del Oro, Lote Serrano, 11.0002° -85.4562°, 585m, 200.10.2006, leg. H. Cambronero & R. Franco, coll. Area de Conservacion Guanacaste ( DNA barcode 06-SRNP-108055); 1♀, id., Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Quica, 10.997°–85.397°, 487m, 29.09.2008, leg. H. Cambronero & S. Rios ( DNA barcode 06-SRNP-108055).

Diagnosis. Light green moth with a broad yellow edging of fore wing costa and straight yellow marginal line, hind wing discal dots present, yellow, comma-shaped as described for O. permagna , edged basally greenish in some specimens. O. agnetaforslundae differing from the permagna in presence of thin dark proximal edging of the marginal line. The abdominal crests long, pale, almost joined into a thick line; the gnathi are reduced to short stubs but long in other species (except in O. pallidaria , which has the tegumen reduced, much shorter than the vinculum).

Description. Wingspan, 15–16 mm in males (Fig. 10), 21–23.5 mm in females. The antennae are pectinate in males, the pectinations reaching 0.7 mm length at the tenth segment, and filiform in a female. The thorax is green, the dorsum of abdomen and the crests being creamy. The wings are light green, the fore wing costa edged yellow, and the marginal line and the fringe are yellow. The discal spots are small, dark green in fore wings but commashaped, yellow in hind wings, weakly edged greenish in some specimens.

Male genitalia (Fig. 46): The uncus and the gnathi are reduced, the socii being large, rounded. The costa and the sacculus are short, the valvula projecting and spiculose in its apical one third. The dorsal projections of the juxta are affiliated to the bases of valvae. The aedeagus is distally dilated, with a short cornutus. The sternite A8 is weakly sclerotized and not modified.

Female genitalia (Fig. 72): The antevaginal plate is flat, edged roundish, postvaginal sclerite with two roundish structures with long setae pointing anteriorly, and a pair tufts of thin hairs posteriorly, on the last segment. Bursa copulatrix membranous, a signum is present.

Genetic data. BIN BOLD:AAE5082 (n=5 from Costa Rica). Genetically nearest species on BOLD: O. decorata (3.7%), O. permagna (5.9%), O. loreenae (6.1%). All five barcoded specimens from Costa Rica (Dan Janzen, pers. comm.) match well the original description of ’marginata’.

Distribution. Costa Rica (locus typicus: CR, Tuis), Nicaragua.

Biology. The species was collected in February, May and June in dry tropical forests. Records for larval hostplants: Vochysia ferruginea (Vochysiaceae) (D. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, pers. comm.) (cf. Fig. 89).

Etymology. Oospila agnetaforslundae is named in honor of Ms. Agneta Forslund (RIP) of Sweden and the Barnens Regnskog (Childrens Rainforest Sweden) in recognition of her intense and enthusiastic support for Area de Conservacion Guanacaste since 1985.