Dicepolia bicolor, Hayden, James E., 2009

Hayden, James E., 2009, Taxonomic revision of Neotropical Dicepolia Snellen (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Zootaxa 2237, pp. 1-33 : 22-23

Dicepolia bicolor sp. nov.

Figures 10, 25, 41, 55

Material examined: Holotype 3 (NHM): St. Jean de Maroni, / French Guiana. / Received from / E. Le Moult. // Rothschild / Bequest / 1939-1 // [red label] HOLOTYPE Dicepolia bicolor Hayden // BMNH (E) #846383. Not dissected.

Paratypes: French Guiana: 43, 3Ƥ: same data as holotype. One with labels “3/ Pyralidae / Brit. Mus. / Slide No. / 18009” and BMNH (E) #846384, one with labels “Ƥ / Pyralidae / Brit. Mus. / Slide No. / 18010” and BMNH (E) #846385, one with labels “B.M. Pyralidae / Genitalia slide / No. 22143 3” and “ BMNH (E) #846386,” rest with labels BMNH (E) #846387–846390 (NHM).

Diagnosis: Forewings with contrastingly pale median area. Labial palpi not strikingly long. Frontoclypeus a 90-degree angle. Foreleg without femoral androconia; metathoracic leg tibia not striped. S8 emargination narrow, between lamelliform structures. Medial third of vincular saccus narrow and flat, lateral thirds bent obliquely. Phallus with single twist; cornutus absent. Appendix of ductus bursae strongly reduced to very small, barely visible digitiform appendage.

Description: General color brownish red to brownish violet, with pale forewing medial areas. Frontoclypeus fairly prominent, projecting 0.16 ± 0.03 mm (n = 5), frontoclypeus a round arch with rightangled sides. Frons flat and red. Vertex red. Eye 0.67 ± 0.03 mm long (n = 5). Labial palpi 1.2–1.3 mm (mean 1.3 ± 0.1 mm, n = 5). Mean palpi:eye ratio 1.9. Antennae whitish. Male antennae not more strongly ciliate than female. Haustellar scales white. Cervical scales red. Dorsal thorax red. Ventral thorax and legs whitish, except foreleg coxa, femur and proximal tibia beige. Dorsal edge of midleg tibia without dark stripe. Male foreleg without femoral androconia. Outer: inner spur ratios: midleg, 0.4; hindleg, 0.7.

Forewing length 6.1–6.9 mm (mean 6.5 ± 0.1 mm), width 2.9–3.9 mm (mean 3.4 ± 0.1 mm), mean length:width ratio 1.9 (n = 5) (fig. 10). Basal and postmedial areas dark vinous red; costa concolorous. Median area constrastingly pale yellow or cream white, not thickly scaled, with vinous red extending along costa in some specimens. Antemedial line not distinct from basal area, straight or slightly bent basad on anal fold. Postmedial line nearly straight, very slightly curving basad between CuA1 and 1A. Marginal fringe cream white, dark yellowish at apex and along subapical costa. Scale-tooth absent from posterior edge. Underside uniformly orange red, but paler on anal area; lines absent. Hindwings pale yellow with vinous red postmedial area starting from 3/5, washed out on anal area; no distinctly brown PM line. Underside pale yellow, with costal area to cell and postmedial area orange red.

Abdomen dorsally yellow or orange-yellow, ventrally yellow. Genitalic and S7 tufts yellow.

Male genitalia (figs 25, 41): S8 anterior emargination round, broad. S8 posterior edge slightly emarginate, flexure between lamelliform chaetae, with large medial spine. A8 pleural androconium linear. Lamelliform structures on sloping-shoulders, with parallel-sided bases. Vinculum medial third flat, lateral thirds bent distinctly in 120-degree angle. Gnathos arms converging at 90-degree angle; gnathos lateral arms not very robust; median element longer than arms. Costal flutes present. Valva oblong. Phallus with 1 spiral. Cornutus absent.

Female genitalia (fig. 55): S9 length:depth ratio, 1. Ductus moderately long between ostium bursae and colliculum. Colliculum as long as wide. Spur of colliculum wide, broadly based from middle of colliculum. Appendix of ductus bursae strongly reduced. Appendix of corpus bursae large, globular. Corpus bursae without discrete signum or granular patch.

Etymology: In reference to the forewing color, with the pale yellow median area contrasting with the dark red basal and postmedial areas.

Distribution: Northwestern French Guiana.

Flight period: Not recorded.

Similar species: D. artoides is very similar in genitalia but has the forewing uniformly colored, a long, thin cornutus, and the appendix of the cervix bursae small but not strongly reduced. Besides coloration, D. roseobrunnea differs shape of the saccus, the broader S8 posterior margin, and phallus with one more halftwist and a cornutus. D. munroealis of Madagascar also has a pale medial forewing fascia, but it is much narrower and the PM line is closer to the terminal margin (fig. 15); D. artoides has the entire median area pale in color. D. artoides also superficially resembles some small individuals of the variable, widespread but distantly related eurrhypine Mimoschinia rufofascialis Stephens in the violet lines, pale medial area, and hint of a medial costal spot. The closest known populations of Mimoschinia are in arid regions of the Greater Antilles.

Remarks: known only from one lot, with little information.