Doryodes acta Troubridge

Troubridge, J. T., 2020, A new genus and 37 new noctuoid species from peninsular Florida and the Keys (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea), Insecta Mundi 2020 (789), pp. 1-56 : 17-18

Doryodes acta Troubridge , new species

( Fig. 28 , 79 )

BIN: BOLD:AAC9851

Diagnosis. Lafontaine and Sullivan (2015) published an excellent revision of the genus and images of adults and genitalia of extant species are available for comparison in that work. In general, all species in the genus have a blackish brown stripe extending through the middle of the forewing from the wing base to a point about ¾ of the way to the outer margin before turning to the apex and fading out before reaching it. This line is bordered on both dorsal and ventral margins to varying degrees by a thin white line. Doryodes acta is most closely related to D. fusselli Sullivan and Lafontaine , which is known only from North Carolina. Externally, both species look similar and are smaller and paler than the species with which they fly. Internally, the vesica of D. fusselli (see Lafontaine and Sullivan (2015), fig. 36) bends to the right with two short, apical diverticula that abut each other, each with a single cornutus, and a larger diverticulum on the right with one basal and two subapical cornuti. The vesica of D. acta has two sub-basal comb-like cornuti, two widely separated apical diverticula, the left one elongate with single basal and two subapical cornuti, the right much shorter with an apical cornutus, and on the right a second, larger diverticulum with single basal and apical cornuti.

Description. Male antennae bipectinate; head, vertex, thorax, and abdomen light pinkish beige. Dorsal forewing (male). Forewing length 16–17 mm. Ground color light pinkish beige with heavy suffusion of black scales; a medial, yellow-brown patch extends from wing base to apex, below which is a dark brown line that is bordered dorsally with a thin white line in proximal ⅔ and ventrally in the distal ⅓ by a white line, edged ventrally and dorsally with dark brown that bends toward apex; orbicular and reniform spots present as minute black dots; fringe light pinkish beige. Dorsal hindwing. Ground color light beige with slightly darker beige scales bordering outer and anterior margins; fringe light beige. Male genitalia ( Fig. 79 ). Valve trifid apically with costal extension cut away dorsally to form a point on ventral margin; saccular extension drawn to a blunt point terminates short of costal extension; a rounded, fleshy, apical process is situated between costa and saccular extensions; uncus relatively narrow, arcs slightly downward to pointed apex; vesica bends downward with 1–4 posterior comb-like cornuti before branching to form two small and three large diverticula; a flat ventral cornutus is present on body of vesica where branching begins; one minute, ventral diverticulum points backward, one low diverticulum present on left, these two diverticula without cornuti; one elongate posterior diverticulum with terminal cornutus is directed dorsally, below which a large, square, diverticulum with large, thorn-like, bulbous, apical cornutus; large, ventral diverticulum has matching, lateral bulbous, thorn-like cornuti. Female genitalia. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male: USA: Florida, Dixie Co.: Highway 361, 29.564°N, 83.380°W, 16.Nov. 2015, J. Troubridge, in the CNC . Paratypes: 13♂: Dixie Co.: Highway 361, 29.564°N, 83.380°W, 5.Apr.2016, 11♂ ; 16.Nov.2015, 2♂, all J. Troubridge.

Etymology. From Latin, acta means seashore, and refers to the coastal habitat of this species.

Distribution. Thus far, D. acta is known only from the remote Gulf of Mexico salt marshes of Dixie Co., Florida.

Remarks. The DNA was analyzed and the 658 COI base pairs compared with those of specimens of Doryodes fusselli . The results showed a 0.3% difference between D. acta and D. fusselli , its sister species. The BOLD database places D. acta and D. fusselli into BIN: BOLD:AAC9851.

Figures

Figures 26–31. Adults. 26a) Melipotis florida ♂, paratype, Florida City, FL. 26b) Melipotis florida ♀, paratype, Florida City, FL. 27a) Melipotis perpendicularis ♂, Key Largo, FL. 27b) Melipotis perpendicularis ♀, Falcon Lake, TX. 28) Doryodes acta ♂, paratype, Dixie County, FL. 29) Doryodes unica ♂, holotype, Dixie County, FL. 30) Doryodes fulva ♂, holotype, Dixie County, FL. 31) Doryodes desoto ♂, Dixie County, FL.

Figures 79–84. Male genitalia. 79) Doryodes acta, holotype, Dixie County, FL. 80) Doryodes unica, holotype, Dixie County, FL. 81) Doryodes fulva, holotype, Dixie County, FL. 82) Hemeroplanis floccalis, North Port, FL. 83) Tripudia calusa, paratype, Bahia Honda, FL. 84) Hemeroplanis scopulepes, Highlands County, FL.