Scythris sanfranciscoensis Nupponen, 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

Scythris sanfranciscoensis Nupponen sp. nov.

Figs 25 , 54 , 70

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] KN01036; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 2/10 Dec. 2019; coll. NUPP (MZH).

Paratypes. Argentina • 3 ♂, 2 ♀; same data as for holotype; [BOLD sample ID] KN01035; [genitalia slide] K. Nupponen prep. no. 3/14 Dec. 2019 ♀; coll. NUPP.

Diagnosis.

Large species (wingspan 20.5-22 mm), greyish brown species, forewing with 3-5 black spots apically near cilia. The weakly resembling “batman” appearance of the male genitalia is distinctive, as well as sternum VIII with a triangular process at middle, attached to transverse plate and enormous round, anterolateral projections. In the female genitalia, a large subtriangular sterigma is characteristic.

Description.

Wingspan 20.5-22 mm. Head, collar, neck tuft, haustellum, tegula and thorax unicoloured greyish brown. Scape dorsally beige, ventrally cream; pecten cream and longer than diameter of scape. Flagellum dark brown, 0.65 × length of forewing, in male ciliate, sensillae ~ 1/2 as long as diameter of flagellum. Labial palp: palpomere I white, palpomeres II and III fuscous with a few whitish scales. Legs: foreleg femur dirty white, tibia and tarsus dark brown; midleg and hindleg dirty white except tarsus pale fuscous. Abdomen pale brown, ventrally mixed with white. Forewing greyish brown with sparsely scattered blackish scales; middle part of wing widely but irregularly whitish cream, more whitish at apical area; at 0.7 and 0.85 blackish blotches at middle of wing; apically 3-5 black spots at row near cilia line. Hindwing pale fuscous, fringe slightly darker.

Male genitalia. Uncus quadrangular plate with deep U-shaped medioposterior indentation; sublaterally with small setose flaps. Gnathos not detected. Phallus robust, longer than valva, distal portion tapered. Anterior part of valva wide with round margin, posterior part pointing upwards, incurved, with acute apex. Sternum VIII with large round anterolateral projections, anterior margin widely concave; posterior margin folded forming large transverse bent plate with projected posterolateral corners, and heavily sclerotised triangular process in middle of plate. Tergum VIII trapezoid, posterior portion quadrangular, anterolateral corners broad with small marginal fold.

Female genitalia. Sterigma large subtriangular plate, posterior portion hood-like and heavily sclerotised, tip blunt. Ostium situated in squared sclerotisation at medioposterior margin of sterigma. Sternum VII rectangular. Apophyses anteriores 0.3 × length of apophyses posteriores.

Etymology.

Latinised adjective in the nominative singular. The species is named after the type locality, the River San Francisco.

Distribution.

NW Argentina.

Habitat.

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

Genetic data.

BIN: BOLD:ADZ5418 (n = 2 from Argentina). Nearest neighbour: Scythris tibicina Meyrick, 1916 (BIN: BOLD:ADZ4797, 6.68%).

Remarks.

Based on COI maximum likelihood phylogeny, taxa Scythris tibicina and Scythris sanfranciscoensis group together, associating with other Central and South American taxa, classified in apparently non-monophyletic Scythris on BOLD (Suppl. material 2). We classify Scythris tibicina and Scythris sanfranciscoensis in Scythris .

Figures

Figure 70. Female genitalia of Scythris sanfranciscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., paratype, slide 3 / 14 Dec. 2019 KN.

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 24 B- 29. Scythrididae adults, genus Scythris 24 B S. tibicina Meyrick, 1916, male 25 A S. sanfranciscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, holotype 25 B S. sanfriscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., male, paratype 26 S. tigrensis Nupponen, sp. nov., male, holotype 27 A S. bicoloristrigella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 27 B S. bicoloristrigella Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, paratype 28 S. saldaitisi Nupponen sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype 29 S. wikstromi Nupponen, sp. nov., genus combination incertae sedis, male, holotype.

Figures 53 - 54. Male genitalia of Scythris 53 S. tibicina Meyrick, 1916, lectotype, slide JFGC No. 8053 (top right corner: tergum VIII and gnathos uncompressed, slide 5 / 11 Dec. 2019 KN 54 S. sanfranciscoensis Nupponen sp. nov., holotype, slide 2 / 10 Dec. 2019 KN.