Ethmia festiva Busck

Phillips-Rodriguez, Eugenie, Powell, Jerry A., Hallwachs, Winnie & Janzen, Daniel H., 2014, A synopsis of the genus Ethmia Huebner in Costa Rica: biology, distribution, and description of 22 new species (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Depressariidae, Ethmiinae), with emphasis on the 42 species known from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, ZooKeys 461, pp. 1-86 : 6-7

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Depressariidae

Ethmia festiva Busck Figures 3, 48, 93, 148

Ethmia festiva Busck, 1914: 33; Powell 1973: 123.

Diagnosis.

Ethmia festiva can be discriminated from Ethmia blaineorum , its most similar species, by its smaller size and by its sacculus enlarged at 0.25 × from the base of the valva.

Description.

Male: FW length 8.1-8.4 mm (n = 3). Head: Labial palpus long reaching crown, white, brownish exteriorly at II segment. Thorax: Whitish with black area at scutellum. FW ground color white, two brown lines from costa to posterior margin at base and antemedial area, one brown line at medial area reaching internal margin of a big ochreous square patch; apical and terminal area with a triangular ochreous patch; terminal area with a circle composed of five brownish radiating arms. HW ground color brownish becoming darker from 0.5 × from base, fringe ochreous; costal area simple. Abdomen: Brownish dorsum, ventrally and genitalia scaling ochreous. Genitalia (Fig. 48) with uncus deeply notched, basal processes broad, short, not reaching gnathos, distal notch of valva broad, round, simple; gnathos small covered with spines. Sacculus enlarged at 0.25 × from base of valva.

Female: FW length 8.9-9.8 mm (n = 3). Head and thorax: As described for male. Abdomen: Genitalia (Fig. 93) with sterigma bearing lateral lobes, not sclerotized in anterior margin; apophyses short, ductus base with a short diagonal row of small spines; signum a dentate fold.

Holotype.

Male: Panamá, Porto Bello, May 1912, A. Busck. USNM Type No. 16695 [USNM, examined].

Distribution and biology.

Ethmia festiva has been collected from southeastern Mexico to northwestern Colombia. In Costa Rica (Fig. 148), it has been found on both slopes of Cordillera Volcánica de Guanacaste from sea level to 1050 m. While sympatric with its sister species Ethmia blaineorum in ACG dry forests, Ethmia festiva extends its range onto the rain forested ACG Caribbean slope of northern Costa Rica. Food plant and immature stages are unknown.