Rhamphura angulisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination, 2022

Nupponen 1, Kari & Sihvonen, Pasi, 2022, Revision of Neotropical Scythrididae moths and descriptions of 22 new species from Argentina, Chile, and Peru (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea), ZooKeys 1087, pp. 19-104 : 19

Rhamphura angulisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis

Figs 7 , 40

Type material.

Holotype. Argentina • ♂; prov. Jujuy, Rio San Francisco, by Caimancito village; 23°43.8'S, 64°36.3'W; 400 m a.s.l.; 18 Sep. 2017; K. Nupponen & R. Haverinen leg.; [BOLD sample ID] KN01038; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 1/10 Dec. 2019; coll. NUPP (MZH).

Diagnosis.

Externally may be separated from other described taxa by pale brown forewings with characteristic black patches at basal 1/2 of dorsum. In the male genitalia of R. angulisociella , anteriorly to tegumen is attached a large formation, which resembles that of R. depressa , but R. angulisociella has long and angled socii and narrower valvae.

Description.

Wingspan 13.5 mm. Head, collar, neck tuft, tegula and thorax pale brown; few white scales around eye and at posterior margin of thorax. Haustellum white with a little pale brown at middle. Scape dorsally dark brown, ventrally dirty cream; pecten dirty cream and longer than diameter of scape. Flagellum dark brown, 0.65 × length of forewing, ciliate, sensillae ~ 1/2 as long as diameter of flagellum. Labial palps white, except lower surface of palpomeres II and III dark brown. Legs with lower surfaces white, otherwise fuscous with scattered dirty white. Abdomen dorsally fuscous, ventrally white, anal tuft pale brown. Forewing pale brown, basal 1/2 between fold and dorsum paler than costal area; irregular black patches at dorsum at 0.2 and 0.5, dorsal and apical areas mixed with sparsely scattered white scales. Hindwing fuscous, darker than forewing.

Male genitalia. Uncus small, semi-circular plate. Socii long and setose shanks, basal 0.75 straight, then bent 80°; anterolaterally bulged with very long setae. Tegumen arched, anterior margin concave, with tuft of long setae posterio-laterally. Note: the following structures are bent 180° (unrolled) ventrally during dissection, which explains why the valvae appear as a dorsal structure in Fig. 40 . Anteriorly to tegumen attached a large formation, consists of two parallel sub-ovals, basally fused and posteriorly heavily sclerotised pouches. Phallus short, slightly tapered, tip bent and pointed. Valva longer than uncus and tegumen together, very slender, apical area setose. Sternum VIII rectangular, 1.5 × as wide as high. Tergum VIII trapezoid, anterior margin sclerotised.

Etymology.

Diminutive noun in apposition. The species name refers to angular socii in the male genitalia.

Distribution.

NW Argentina.

Habitat.

The collecting site is a dry river bed surrounded by forests and plantations. Plants of the family Amaranthaceae were frequent at the riverside (Fig. 79 ).

Genetic data.

BIN: BOLD:ADY9489 (n = 1 from Argentina). Nearest neighbour: a North American Rhamphura sp. ( Scythrididae , BIN: BOLD:AAA9059, 4.82%).

Remarks.

Female unknown. Based on COI maximum likelihood phylogeny, the South American taxa Rhamphura subdimota , Rhamphura depressa , Rhamphura pozohondaensis , Rhamphura spiniuncus , Rhamphura angulisociella , Rhamphura tetrafasciella , and Rhamphura curvisociella group together, associating next to the North American taxa classified in Rhamphura on BOLD (Suppl. material 2). Structurally these taxa are heterogeneous and the external characters, male and/or female genitalia show varying degrees of similarities to the North American Rhamphura , as diagnosed and illustrated in Landry (1991). With regard to Rhamphura angulisociella , the structural differences are notable and we therefore took a conservative view and classified this taxon in Rhamphura (incertae sedis), highlighting the need for further research.

Figures

Figure 79. Collecting site of Rhamphura angulisociella sp. nov., Scythris caimancitoensis sp. nov. and S. sanfranciscoi sp. nov.: Argentina, Rio San Francisco (397 m), 18 Sep. 2017.

Figures 7 - 11. Scythrididae adults, genera Rhamphura and Landryia 7 R. angulisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 8 R. curvisociella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 9 R. tetrafasciella Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, female, holotype 10 A L. ankylosauroides Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 10 B L. ankylosauroides Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, paratype 11 L. chilensis Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype.

Figures 39 - 40. Male genitalia of Rhamphura 39 R. spiniuncus Nupponen sp. nov., holotype, slide 4 / 12 Dec. 2019 KN) 40 R. angulisociella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, holotype, slide 1 / 10 Dec. 2019 KN.