Pseudomarimatha 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 : 130-133

Pseudomarimatha Ferris & Lafontaine , gen. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E5E1E7DD-E742-4003-9B0E-91167C8277C3

Type species. Pseudomarimatha flava Ferris & Lafontaine , sp. n.

Etymology. The generic name Pseudomarimatha is taken from the Latin Pseudo (false) and Marimatha (the noctuid genus with which Pseudomarimatha has been confused and is likely to continue to be confused.

Diagnosis. Head with rounded slightly bulging frons; hindwing with vein M 2 reduced to fold near middle of cell, veins M 2 and CuA 1 on common stalk; tympanic membrane with central sclerite raised and nodular. Male genitalia: tegumen broad, enlarged into posterior lobe ventrally; valva with triangular sacculus with apex separated from remainder of sacculus by membranous band; valva narrow at apex of sacculus, gradually widening to broadly rounded apex, without corona; clasper on costal margin of valva, about 1/4 × valva length; vesica slightly longer than aedeagus with subbasal diverticulum and large apical cornutus 3/4 × as long as aedeagus. Female genitalia: corpus bursae globular posterior, abruptly tapered anteriorly; posterior 1/3 of ductus bursae heavily sclerotized; apophyses long and narrow with triangular plate in posterior apophysis near middle; anal papillae sclerotized.

Pseudomarimatha appears to be most closely related to Elaphria Hübner , but differs in that the costa of the male valva is continuously sclerotized almost to the apex of the valva; the clasper is a simple tapered sinuate structure arising from a swollen base; the isolated apical part of the sacculus is lightly sclerotized, like the rest of the sacculus. In Elaphria there is a gap in the sclerotization of the costal margin of the valva near the end of the clasper, so in dissection the valva tends to fold back on itself at this point; the base of the clasper is forked with a ventrally directed process; and the isolated apical part of the sacculus is much more heavily sclerotized than the basal part.

Description. Adult: Head – Frons rounded, slightly bulging; labial palpus curving upward with third segment slightly porrect, middle segment 3 × as long as basal and apical segments; male antenna filiform, densely setose ventrally, female similar but sparsely setose ventrally; eye rounded; ocellus present; vestiture of head and palpi of broad flat scales with slightly raised tuft of scales projecting forward between bases of antennae. Thorax – Patagia clothed with broad, yellow scales; tegulae and posterior part of thorax covered with blackish-gray scales with white on sides and tip and amount of dark shading more extensive on anterior and middle part of thorax than farther posteriorly. Legs: spiniform setae confined to tarsi and setae minute; foretibia slightly shorter (0.8 ×) than femur and tarsus. Wings: forewing venation typically quadrifine with cubital vein appearing four branched; forewing with obtusely angled tornus and acutely angled apex giving wing an elongated appearance; hindwing with typical trifine venation (i.e., M 2 reduced to fold near middle of cell), but veins M 2 and CuA 1 on common stalk (extending 0.10–0.25 × length of M 3). Abdomen – basal abdominal brushes and pockets absent. Male genitalia – Uncus: decurved, cylindrical, abruptly tapered to spine-like apex, with brush of long stout setae dorsally toward apex. Tegumen: broad, enlarged into posterior lobe ventrally, about 2 × as wide ventrally as mesially with tuft of long setae on ventral lobe; vinculum with short centrally angled saccus ventrally. Juxta : small, heavily sclerotized diamond-shaped plate with deep central notch posteriorly. Valvae: symmetrical, basally broad, narrowed mesially, broadening to broadly rounded apex, without corona; sacculus triangular, widest at base; apex of sacculus separated by narrow membranous band (typical of Elaphrini); clasper near dorsal margin of valva, arising from wider base immediately distal to sacculus, then narrow, curving and finger-like, about 1/4 × valva length; valva distal to sacculus lightly sclerotized except for band along costal margin. Aedeagus: smoothly sclerotized; everted vesica tubular, slightly longer than vesica with large subbasal diverticulum and large apical cornutus about 3/4 × as long as aedeagus. Female genitalia – corpus bursae gourd shaped, rounded posteriorly, abruptly tapered anteriorly into appendix-like tube; ductus bursae rugose with bands of sclerite, irregularly twisted to straight, heavily sclerotized posterior 1/3 of ductus bursae; apophyses long and narrow with triangular plate near middle of posterior apophysis; anal papillae broad, laterally flattened, setae sparse.

Distribution and biology. Known only from southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.

Remarks. This species would not normally be associated with the Noctuinae Elaphrini, except by the genitalia and DNA. It is confused with Marimatha species in all collections where we have found material. It can readily be distinguished from Marimatha by the narrow, acutely pointed forewing, the lack of a dark discal spot, the raised nodular sclerite of the metathoracic ear, and the characteristics of the genitalia given above.