Marimatha piscimala Ferris & Lafontaine, 2010

Ferris, Clifford & Lafontaine, Donald, 2010, Review of the North American species of Marimatha Walker with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Eustrotiinae) and the description of Pseudomarimatha flava (Noctuinae, Elaphriini), a new genus and species confused with Marimatha, ZooKeys 39 (39), pp. 117-135 : 128-130

Marimatha piscimala Ferris & Lafontaine , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F610BE0F-C8CF-4BA7-9C3D-BB88F91EB1DF

Figs 9, 10, 15, 22

Type material. Holotype ♂. Texas., Kimble Co., Fred Coleman Ranch , 12 mi S Junction, 16 June 1972, B. Wright; Genitalia CNC slide # 15033 m. CNC . Paratypes: 22 ♂, 17 ♀. USA. Arizona. Cochise Co., Ash Canyon, Huachuca Mts. , 5170’, 20 July 2006 (1 ♀), 4 Aug. 2009 (1 ♀), C. D. Ferris ; Pima Co., Baboquivari Mts., Brown Canyon , 3880’, 18–19 Aug. 2006, C. D. Ferris (6 ♂, 3 ♀) ; Pima Co., Baboquivari Mts., Brown ( Bear ) Canyon , 5300–5900’, 2 Aug. 2008, C. Schmidt & L. Crabo, mesquite/riparian (1 ♂) ; Santa Cruz Co., Madera Canyon 4880’, 13 July – 28 Aug. 1959, J. G. Franclemont (3 ♂, 3 ♀) ; Santa Cruz Co., Peña Blanca 3950’, 7 Aug. 1959 (1 ♂), 23 Aug. 1960 (1 ♂), J. G. Franclemont ; Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia , 4050’, 8 Aug. 2009, C. D. Ferris (1 ♂) . Texas. Cameron Co., Audubon Sabal Palm Grove , 11 Oct. 1996, C. Bordelon (1 ♀), 20 April 1997 E. C. Knudson (1 ♀) ; Comal-Hayes Counties , El Rancho, 29 Aug. 1975, A. & M. E. Blanchard (1 ♂) ; Hidalgo Co., Bentsen State Park , 18–19 April 1997, E. C. Knudson (1 ♀) ; Hidalgo Co., Mission , 12 Oct. 2008, C. W. Bordelon (1 ♂) ; Jeff Davis Co., Ft Davis, Jeff Mts. State Park , 11–13 Sept. 2008, Knudson / Bordelon (1 ♂, 1 ♀) ; Kerr Co., Kerrville State Park , 19 Aug .

1980, E. C. Knudson (1 ♀); Starr Co., Roma, 6,7 Oct. 1996, E. C. Knudson (1 ♀).

Mexico. Chiapas: 5 mi NW Pijijiapan, Hwy. 200, 31 May 1969, A. Mutuura (5 ♂, 1 ♀) ; Chiapas , 15 May, R. Muller (1 ♀) ; San Luis Potosi, El Naranjo, El Salto , 29 June 1965, P. Spangler (1 ♀) . Panama. La Chorrera, 12 May, August Busck (1 ♂). Paratypes deposited in CDF, CNC, CUIC, JBW, TLSC, and USNM .

Other material examined. USA. Arizona. Cochise Co., Ash Canyon, Huachuca Mts, 31°23.17'N 110°14.281'W, 5170’, 4 August 2009, C. D. Ferris. Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia (in town), 31°32.62'N 110°45.31'W, 4050’, 8 August 2009, C. D. Ferris.

Costa Rica. Guanacaste, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Santa Elena, La Angostura, 26 May 2006 (1 ♀), 24 July 2006 (1 ♂), F. Quesada & R. Franco.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin for fish (Piscis) and jaw (mala) and refers to the fish-jaw like appearance of the male valva.

Diagnosis. Head with frontal protuberance. Male genitalia: valva broad, ventral margin even; dorsal margin slightly concave to middle, then tapering to apex with multiple narrow dentate projections from dorsal margin; vesica with a long apical cornutus and postmedial cluster of cornuti with mixture of two large and many small cornuti. Female genitalia: ostial plate heart shaped with cleft in middle of posterior margin extending almost to base of plate.

Description. Adult: Head – Frontal protuberance shallow crater-like prolate ellipsoidal. Thorax – Yellow with brown flecks. Legs: yellow, flecked with brown scales, more heavily on forelegs and middle legs, and in females. Wings (both sexes): DFW golden yellow with dark discal spot and additional dark spot in fold at ¼ from wing base; often with a smaller third spot below costa at 1/4 from base; a thin orange-brown postmedial line deeply curving around discal spot in some males and most females; specimens from southeastern Texas, and less commonly those from elsewhere, may have increased dark shading on the postmedial line and sometimes a longitudinal streak along the middle of the wing like that often present in M. tripuncta . DHW pale fuscous. VFW yellow, heavily infused with brown scales with well-defined pale band along inner margin. VHW yellow, moderately flecked with brown scales, indistinct brown marginal line; in some specimens a suggestion of a brown discal spot and postmedial line. Male genitalia – Uncus: decurved, slender, slightly spatulate tip. Valvae: symmetrical, broad basally, ventral margin even; dorsal margin slightly concave to middle, then tapering sharply to apex with multiple (7 typically) narrow dentate projections from dorsal edge; apex pointed, corona absent. Aedeagus: smoothly sclerotized; vesica with one large apical cornutus and postmedial cluster of smaller cornuti. Female genitalia – Corpus bursae elongate without surface features; ductus seminalis on right side about ⅓ from anterior end. Anterior part of ductus bursae broad and lightly sclerotized, ductus constricted and elbowed at 1/3 from anterior end with posterior 2/3 narrower and increasingly heavily sclerotized. Ostial plate heart shaped with cleft in middle of posterior margin extending almost to base of plate; when apex of plate brushed in undissected specimens protruding sides of plate project posterolaterally.

Distribution and biology. Southeastern Texas to Arizona southward to Panama. Flight season mid-April to mid-October, probably several generations.