Galethalea portoricensis, Pinheiro, Lívia R., 2016

Pinheiro, Lívia R., 2016, Description of three new species of Galethalea Butler, 1876 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), with comments on the genus, Zootaxa 4078 (1), pp. 354-365 : 360

Galethalea portoricensis sp. nov.

( Figures 2 , 5 , 12–15 )

Holotype male, PUERTO RICO, Ciales, Cialitos – Cruces, 1050 m, 20.iii.1974 (W. Plathsr. leg.); Dissection number 3416 (L. Pinheiro) kept in vial ( SMNS). Two paratypes. PUERTO RICO, Ciales, 3200 ft., 7 km south, 2.ii–12.iii. [19]73, EL light (Plath sr.) ( SMNS), 1 male; Naguabo, Sierra de Luquillo, Pico del Oeste, 12.viii.1985, B. Laianne & Casseu leg.( MNHN), 1 male.

Diagnosis ♂. Antennae predominantly brown, with white scales on the subproximal flagellomeres and at the tip. Frontoclypeus black ventrally and white dorsally. Mesoscutellum predominantly white. Metascutellum brown with sparse orange scales. FW predominantly white, with various brown spots. HW entirely scaled. Posterior margin of T8 white.

Description ♂. Head. Proboscis light brown. Palpi three segmented, reaching vertex. First segment black with white distal margin. Second segment black proximally and white distally. Third segment twice longer than wide, black, except for the apical surface, white. Scape predominantly white, posterior surface black. Pedicel white. Most flagellomeres black, subproximal flagellomere white dorsally. Pectination starting in the first flagellomere. Frontoclypeus almost as wide as long. Ventral portion whitish medially and black laterally; dorsal portion white. Vertex white with few black scales medially. Occiput and ocular ring black. Cervical scales orange. Thorax. Mesothorax predominantly white, black dorsally in two longitudinal markings. Metascutellum black with few orange scales. Patagia predominantly white, with dark brown scales anteriorly on external lateral side and dorsally near posterior end. Tegulae predominantly white, posterior and external margins black. Epimera and episterna with long black scales. Anterior surface of forecoxae predominantly brown, white at proximal and distal ends. Forefemora white proximally and black distally. Foretibia predominantly white, with two black markings, one proximal, and the other one subdistal. Foretarsi predominantly brown, two proximal segments with white proximal and distal margins; third segment white at the proximal margin. Midcoxae white ventrally and laterally. Midfemora predominantly white, with two black markings, one at the proximal margin, the other one mid-ventral. Midtibia black medially and white at the proximal and distal ends; spurs white. Midtarsi as foretarsi. Hindcoxae and hindfemora as the respective segments of midlegs. Hindtibia black with white distal margin and spurs, and white ventral surface of the proximal margin. Hindtarsi predominantly black, first three segments white at both extremities, and fourth segment white at the distal margin. FW. Entirely scaled. Axillary scales white. Dorsal surface predominantly covered by white scales, with a complex pattern on the dorsal surface, consisting of various black spots. Fringe of the external margin with white scales, except for the area corresponding to the junction of the internal and external margins, and for the cell R5-M1, with black scales. Pattern of the ventral surface similar to that of the dorsal surface, but with the distal black markings coalesced. Venation as in Fig. 5 : R1 branching before the transversal vein, and R2 after it. M1 branching together with the transversal vein, with a short branch connecting both to the R stalk. M2 and M3 branching from the transversal vein without a common stalk. HW. Margins and veins with black scales, central portion white. Discal cell entirely white. Proximal portions of cells M1-M2 to CuA2-CuP with white scales, these cells largely black. Cell CuP-1A with brown scales near external margin, and white scales at the rest of its surface, interspersed with long, more sparse brown scales. Cell 1A-2A densely covered by long brown scales, with white small scales in between. Venation as in Fig. 5 : vein Sc present, veins M3 and CuA1 with a short common stalk. Abdomen. T1–2 brown; T3–7 predominantly brown with two latero-posterior orange/yellow spots; T8 brown with white scales posteriorly. Hair-like scales on T1–4. S2–7, S8 brown. Anterior margin of T8 with two small sacular projections. Coremata present on ventral intersegmental membrane 7–8. Male genitalia. Ejaculatory duct longer than aedoeagus, inserted dorsally. Coecun rounded. Aedoeagus approximately the same width throughout. Vesica shorter than aedoeagus when fully everted, mostly membranous. Subterminal region of vesica slightly sclerotized. Saccus little developed, asymmetrical. Tegumen composed of two oblique plates connected by the posterior margin. Intersegmental membrane between tegumen and uncus with two dorsal projections, heavily sclerotized, with rounded apex densely covered by setae. Base of the uncus sclerotized, much wider than its lobe, short and turned ventrally. Both the base and lobe of the uncus with setae. Valvae exceeding uncus, with a single lobe, with the apex more or less rounded and setae concentrated mainly near the apex. Transtilla slightly sclerotized. Juxta almost as sclerotized as the valvae, longer than wide.

Etymology. The name is a reference to the only known locality where this species occur.

Remarks. Galethalea portoricensis sp. nov. shares with G. p i c a the predominance of white scales on the FW, as opposed to the predominance of black scales on the other species placed in the genus. Both species also share the white proximal end of the antennae, black in all other Galethalea species. The white posterior margin of the T8 is unique to G. portoricensis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Habitus of Galethalea species, dorsal views. 1. syntype of Galethalea davidi; 2. holotype of G. portoricensis sp. nov.; 3. holotype of G. wolfei sp. nov.; 4. holotype of G. machadoi sp. nov. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 7. Wing venation of Galethalea species. 5. G. portoricensis sp. nov., wing venation; 6 – 7. G. wolfei sp nov., types of wing venation.

FIGURES 12 – 15. Abdominal pelt and genitalia of G. portoricensis sp. nov. (male from Puerto Rico). 12. abdomen; 13. aedoeagus, lateral view; 14. genital capsule, dorsal view; 15. same, ventral view. Scale bars = 1 mm, except for the abdomen, = 5 mm.