Hellinsia labonita Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin, 2024

Kovtunovich, Vasily N. & Ustjuzhanin, Petr., 2024, New species of plume moths (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) from Ecuador. Part 3, Ecologica Montenegrina 77, pp. 1-11 : 4-6

Hellinsia labonita Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C0BA5F4E-E4D4-4C25-B7E4-488F54BB610A

Figs 5−6

Type material: Holotype, male, ( ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 2007), Ecuador, Sucumbios Rd. Lumbaqui to La Bonita 0º25′51″N, 77º31′49″W, 20.II.2013, 1660 m a.s.l., Sinjaev, Romanov leg.

Description. External characters. Head with yellow hairs. Thorax and tegulae light-yellow. Labial palpi straight, apically acute, below and above white, laterally brown, equal to longitudinal eye diameter in length. Antennae yellowish brown. Wingspan 21 mm. Fore wings unicolorous, pale-yellow. Apical part of first lobe with dark-brown scales. Hind wings slightly darker than fore wings, unicolorous, light-grey. Hind legs white with spurs of unequal length.

Male genitalia. Uncus sickle-shaped, pointed. Valves asymmetric, narrow, lanceolate. Saccular process on left valve short, sinuous. Saccular process on right valve shaped as narrow pointed rod, with spiky processes along outer edge. Anellus arms of unequal length, right arm noticeably longer and slightly wider. Saccus arched. Aedeagus thin, slightly curved inwards, twice shorter than valve.

Diagnosis. In the male genitalia, the species is similar to Hellinsia emmorus (Walsingham, 1915) in the sinuous saccular process on the left valve, but it differs in the rod-shaped saccular process on the right valve and anellus arms, with the right arm noticeably longer than the left arm, whereas in H. emmorus , the left arm is longer than the right arm.

Flight period: February.

Distribution: Ecuador.

Etymology: Toponymic name: the administrative center of the province of Sucumbios. La Bonita translated from Spanish means beautiful.

Figures

Figures 5-6. Hellinsia labonita Kovtunovich & Ustjuzhanin sp. nov.: 5: Male, holotype; 6: Male genitalia, holotype (ZISP, gen.pr. Nr. 2007).