Hemichoma donwhiteheadi Meierotto

Meierotto, Sarah, Sharkey, Michael J., Janzen, Daniel H., Hallwachs, Winnie, Hebert, Paul D. N., Chapman, Eric G. & Smith, M. Alex, 2019, A revolutionary protocol to describe understudied hyperdiverse taxa and overcome the taxonomic impediment, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66 (2), pp. 119-145 : 119

Hemichoma donwhiteheadi Meierotto sp. nov. Figure 18

Molecular diagnosis.

Nucleotides: 72 G, 78 G, 90 G, 114 G, 162 T, 168 A, 204 C, 207 G, 216 G, 225 G, 306 G, 318 T, 322 T, 346 G, 357 T, 409-410 GC, 414 G, 492 A, 516 G, 564 A, 585 GC

Biology.

All specimens of this species were reared from Pelochyta misera ( Erebidae : Arctiinae). Food plants include Heliocarpus appendiculatus ( Malvaceae ), the introduced species Psidium guajava ( Myrtaceae ), Inga oerstediana , and Erythrina costaricensis ( Fabaceae ). Host caterpillars were collected in June, August, November, and October.

Notes.

This species has a sexually dimorphic color pattern: females have bicolored wings and a mostly orange mesosoma, while males have infuscate wings and a black mesosoma.

Type material.

Holotype ♀: DHJPAR0016918 (ASBR891-07), Costa Rica, Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Sector San Cristobal, Sendero Huerta, GPS: 10.9305, -85.37223, 527 m elevation, Elda Araya coll., reared from Pelochyta misera 06-SRNP-9643, host collected 27 November 2006, (EMUS). Paratypes: DHJPAR0021147 (ASBC959-07), DHJPAR0016917 (ASBR890-07), DHJPAR0029296 (ASHYE703-09), DHJPAR0022191 (ASTAT1329-07).

Etymology.

Hemichoma donwhiteheadi is named in honor of Don Whitehead (RIP) of the Smithsonian Institution, a master weevil taxonomist who helped greatly with the taxonomy of ACG Curculionidae .

Figures

Figure 18. Lateral image of Hemichoma donwhiteheadi holotype female.