Onespa nakamura Austin and A. Warren, 2009

Austin, George T. & Warren, Andrew D., 2009, New looks at and for Onespa, Buzyges, and Librita (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae), with new combinations and descriptions of a new genus and six new species, Insecta Mundi 2009 (89), pp. 1-55 : 12-14

Onespa nakamura Austin and A. Warren , new species

( Fig. 17-18 , 66 , 78 )

Description. Male ( Fig. 17-18 ) - forewing length = 18.2 mm (n=1, holotype); forewing produced to pointed apex, termen slightly convex, no stigma or brand; hindwing convex, weakly lobate at tornus; dorsal forewing dark brown with red-brown iridescence; proximal 1/2 costa bright red-brown, this color extending as overscaling of setiform scales into adjacent anterior portion and base of discal cell; sparse paler (more yellowish) red-brown overscaling in base of CuA 2 -2A; yellow-orange overscaling of setiform scales in middle 1/3 of anal cell; translucent pale yellow-orange macules (edged distad with shining gold color) as follows: subapical near bases of R 4 -R 5 and R 5 -M 1, more or less quadrate, that in R 5 -M 1 about 2 times size of that in R 4 -R 5; postmedial in M 3 -CuA 1, trapezoidal (horizontally), 1/3 distance from base; subquadrate in CuA 1 -CuA 2, largest, distal edge slightly concave, centered under origin of CuA 1, overlapping proximal 1/3 of macule in M 3 -CuA 1; discal cell, hourglass shaped, about 1/4 distance from distal end, overlapping proximal 1/3 of macule in CuA 1 -CuA 2 (just proximad of origin of vein CuA 1); opaque yelloworange macule just distad of center of posterior 1/2 of CuA 2 -2A; much smaller opaque yellow-orange macule in anterior 1/2 of CuA 2 -2A, just distad of center of macule in CuA 1 -CuA 2; right wing with minute opaque yellow-orange macule in mid-cell R

3

-R

4

; fringe dark gray-brown, slightly paler distad.

Dorsal hindwing dark brown; proximal 2/3 overscaled with long brown and a few ochreous scales caudad of vein Sc+R 1, nearly reaching termen along vein 2A; opaque, small, irregularly-shaped yelloworange postmedial macules in Rs-M 1, M 1 -M 3 (a few scales), M 3 -CuA 1, and CuA 1 -CuA 2; fringes dark graybrown, pale gray distad.

Ventral forewing brown, paler than on dorsum; costa, apex, and outer margin overscaled with bright red-brown, entirely filling costal, subcostal, radial, and medial cells, latter occurring distad of macule in M 3 -CuA 1, narrowing to termen at vein CuA 2; anterior central 1/3 of discal cell overscaled with yelloworange flat and setiform scales, these mixed with a few red-brown scales; anal cell gray; macules as on dorsum except macule in discal cell and CuA 1 -CuA 2 outlined with yellow-orange and yellow macule in CuA 2 -2A expanded across entire cell, making macule largest in venter, extending slightly proximad and distad of edges of macule in CuA 1 -CuA 2 but with anterioproximal portion excavate for about 1/4 width of macule.

Ventral hindwing entirely bright red-brown except much sparser on both sides of vein 2A, and as vaguely paler (yellow overscaled with red-brown) macules including medial in Sc+R 1 -Rs, a series of small postmedial macules from Rs to 2A, and a small macule at distal end of discal cell.

Dorsal head mixture of gray and red-brown scales, ventral head whitish becoming dull red-brown caudad; dorsal palpi dark gray, red-brown on outer surface, black on inner surface, ventral palpi gray distad and red-brown proximad; antennae 52% of costal length, shaft black on dorsum, checkered with yellow-orange on venter, yellow-orange becoming broader distad, club 29% of length of shaft, dorsal club black, ventral club yellow-orange, nudum red-brown, 13 segments; dorsal thorax red-brown on sides, gray with green iridescence centrally cephalad and pale yellow-gray caudad; ventral thorax mixture of gray and red-brown; legs red-brown with long setiform scales, ochreous proximad, red-brown distad, protibia not spined, red-brown epiphysis extending distad to barely overlap proximal portion of tarsus, mesotibia with medium length spines, pair of spurs distad, outer about 1/2 length of inner, metatibia spined, two pairs of spurs, outer about 1/2 length of inner; dorsal abdomen black, sparse ochreous at segments; ventral abdomen and caudal end red-brown.

Genitalia ( Fig. 66 , 78 ) - uncus relatively long, hooked caudad in lateral view, entire and narrowing to weakly lobed caudal end in dorsal view; gnathos robust, well-separated from and shorter than uncus in lateral view, divided with arms slender, widely apart cephalad and approaching caudad in ventral view, much broader than uncus in middle; tegumen thin in lateral view, broad in dorsal view and flaring cephalad, ventral arm combining with dorsal arm of saccus, this combined structure broadest and bent ventrad of its middle; anterior arm of saccus long and thin, mostly straight, about 1.1 times length of uncus and dorsal portion of tegumen, moderately broad in ventral view and tapering gradually to pointed cephalic end; valva simple, little differentiation between costa and ampulla, latter produced dorsally to small pointed triangular process near juncture with harpe, harpe tapered to elongate, triangular, and sharply pointed caudal end, sacculus narrow, ventral edge of valva concave in middle; aedeagus straight, tubular, moderately long, about 1.1 times length of valva, caudal end slightly expanded with a short triangular projection caudad from its ventral surface, elongate triangular titillator on right side cephalad of caudal end, ventral surface with still larger and more elongate triangular keel-like titillator; vesica with cornuti including an elongate flexible spinulose pad and two large heavily sclerotized and sharply pointed spikes.

Female - unknown.

Type. Holotype male with the following labels: white, printed - / COSTA RICA: Prov. San José / Bajo la Hondura , 1150-1450m / 10 o 03’37”N, 83 o 58’55”W / 13. vi. 2005 / I. Nakamura leg. /; white, handprinted - / Palpus attached /; white, handprinted - / n=7/7 / not spined / no brand /; white, handprinted / Not Turesis /; white, printed and handprinted - / Genitalic Vial / GTA-14033 /; red, printed - / HOLOTYPE / Onespa nakamura / Austin & A. Warren /, deposited at MGCL. Known only from the holotype .

Type locality. COSTA RICA: San José Province ; Bajo la Hondura , 1150-1450m, 10 o 03’37”N, 83 o 58’55”W .

Etymology. It is our pleasure to name this species after Ichiro Nakamura who generously and graciously allowed us to study his collections of Hesperiidae in depth.

Distribution and phenology. The species is known at present only from the holotype taken in June.

Diagnosis and discussion. Onespa nakamura , discovered as a single male among a collection from Costa Rica, prompted this re-examination of Onespa . Color and pattern of O. nakamura are immediately reminiscent of Onespa nubis and O. nakamura is the largest species of the genus. Affinity was further strengthened by the absence of a stigma and morphology of the male genitalia. These latter, while within the general gestalt of its congeners, differ from all by the more elongate uncus, gnathos, and valva and the prominent keel-like titillator on the ventral surface of the aedeagus. Onespa nakamura shares with O. nubis the presence of two prominent cornutal spikes and an elongate flexible cornutus. Onespa gala has a single spike and O. brockorum has a small spike in addition to the robust one; both have a much smaller flexible cornutus than either O. nubis or O. nakamura . The right lateral titillator on O. nakamura is large. This structure is much smaller on O. gala and O. brockorum and absent on O. nubis . In addition, Onespa nakamura has a triangular keel-like titillator on ventral surface of the aedeagus, a structure absent on its congeners.

In the presence of tibial spines, O. nakamura differs from the other three species included within Onespa . That character, generally a useful taxonomic trait among hesperiines (e.g., Evans 1955), is not here considered to exclude O. nakamura from the genus. Other traits, including color and pattern, absence of a stigma, and especially genital morphology are consistently within the concept of Onespa and not with other potentially related genera (see general discussion below). Discovery of a female of O. nakamura and examination of her genitalia, however, are essential for its unequivocal generic association.

Figures

Figure 1-18. Onespa (full data in text; ds = dorsal surface, vs = ventral surface; scale bar = 10 mm). 1) O. nubis, holotype male, El Salvador, 25 March 1972, ds; 2) same, vs; 3) O. nubis, male, El Triunfo, Chiapas, Mexico, 22 March 2007, ds; 4) same, vs; 5) O. nubis, paratype female, El Salvador, 28 December 1971, ds; 6) same, vs; 7) O. gala, holotype male, Veracruz, Mexico, ds, reproduced from photograph at MGCL; 8) same, vs; 9) O. gala, male, Michoacán, Mexico, 22 July 1996, ds; 10) same, vs; 11) O. gala, female, Michoacán, Mexico, 27 July 1996, ds; 12) same, vs; 13) O. brockorum, holotype male, Sonora, Mexico, 24 July 1997, ds; 14) same, vs; 15) O. brockorum, paratype female, Sonora, Mexico, 22 July 1985, ds; 16) same, vs; 17) O. nakamura, holotype male, Costa Rica, 13 June 2005, ds; 18) same, vs.

Figure 63-66. Male genitalia of Onespa (full data in text; shown are lateral view of uncus, gnathos, tegumen, and saccus; dorsal view of uncus and tegumen; ventral view of gnathos uncus; internal view of right valva; ventral view of saccus; ventral, dorsal, right lateral and/or left lateral views of aedeagus; scale bar = 1 mm). 63) O. nubis, El Salvador (SRS #4803); 64) O. brockorum, Sonora, Mexico, paratype (SRS #1852); 65) O. gala, Michoacán, Mexico (GTA #14065); 66) O. nakamura, Costa Rica, holotype (GTA #14033).

Figure 75-86. Rigid cornuti of Onespa, Buzyges, Librita, and Neposa (full data in text; shown are lateral and dorsal views). 75) O. nubis, El Salvador (SRS #4803); 76) O. gala, Michoacán, Mexico (GTA #14065); 77) O. brockorum, Sonora, Mexico, paratype (SRS #1852); 78) O. nakamura, Costa Rica, holotype (GTA #14033); 79) B. idothea, Costa Rica (ADW #97-102); 80) B. rolla, Costa Rica (GTA #14055); 81) B. benito, Oaxaca, Mexico (SRS #4468); 82) B. mellanaformis, Costa Rica, paratype (GTA #14031); 83) L. librita, Veracruz, Mexico (GTA #14135); 84) N. heras, Guerrero, Mexico (ADW #97-112); 85) N. armandoi, Oaxaca, Mexico, holotype (GTA #14143); 86) N. isabelae, Guatemala, paratype (ADW #98-15).