Notascea loxa, Miller, 2009

Miller, James S, 2009, Generic Revision Of The Dioptinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Notodontidae) Part 2: Josiini, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2009 (321), pp. 675-1022 : 801-802

Notascea loxa , new species Figures 304 , 331D , 335 ; plate 31

DIAGNOSIS: Notascea loxa , intermediate in size between the largest ( N. brevispinula ) and smallest ( N. nudata ) members of the genus, can be recognized by the size and shape of its orange FW area (pl. 31). In other described Notascea species, the distal margin of the orange region barely extends beyond the fork of M 3 +CuA 1. In N. loxa on the other hand, the orange extends well beyond this fork to near the wing’s outer margin. The orange triangle is thus longer and exhibits a more oblique angle at its distal margin, giving the species its name. Notascea loxa shows a minimal patterning of black veins within the orange triangle; only the cubitus and radius, framing the DC, are outlined. It thus resembles N. nudata (pl. 31), which shows the most reduced black FW vein pattern of any Notascea species. The difference between N. loxa and N. nudata is that, in the former, black scales line the fork where R 1 leaves the DC. In N. nudata , that fork is not marked.

The genital morphology of N. loxa conforms closely to that of other Notascea species. A unique feature can be found in females, which exhibit an unusually long DB (fig. 335E). In males, the pleats of the Barth organ (fig. 335A) are more heavily rugose than elsewhere in the genus.

DESCRIPTION: Male. Forewing length 5 14.0–14.5 mm. Head (fig. 331D): Labial palpus relatively long, porrect, curving gently upward, all segments uniformly covered with light gray-brown scales; Lp1 with a loose ventral fringe of longer scales; Lp2 longer than Lp1, more tightly scaled; Lp3 short, narrowed distally; front light brown to light gray-brown, closely covered with short, ventromesally pointing scales; occiput light gray to light brown; eye large, bulging outward, gena extremely thin; vertex covered with anteriorly directed, light gray-brown to dark gray scales; scape and dorsum of antennal shaft covered with glossy, brownish-gray scales.

Thorax: Legs covered with glossy, light gray to light gray-brown scales; pleuron covered with elongate light gray to gray-blue scales; patagium gray-brown to steely gray; tegula gray-brown to steely gray, fringed with long, hairlike slate-gray scales; dorsum gray-brown to steely gray.

Forewing: (Dorsal) Basal three-quarters forming a large, orange-yellow triangle (pl. 31); costa dark gray, area behind costa blackish gray; outer fourth and anal margin blackish gray; orange-yellow area with radial sector (including fork of R 1) and cubitus black; black lines arising from base, but falling well short of distal margin of orange area; fovea, between black-lined fork of R 1 and base of Rs 1 –Rs 4, an elongate oval, sparsely clothed with short, light orange scales, its surface somewhat shiny; associated fold between bases of M 1 and M 2 scaleless; outer margin of orange-yellow triangle crossing at a steep oblique angle, its edge slightly irregular; orange area extending well beyond fork of M 3 +CuA 1; veins in dark outer fourth concolorous with ground color. (Ventral) Similar to dorsal surface except colors less intense; triangle uniformly orange-yellow, without contrasting veins, a few scattered brown scales near base of cubitus; fovea sparsely covered with small light yellow scales; anal margin glossy light gray.

Hind wing: (Dorsal) Ground color uniformly dark blackish gray to blackish brown (pl. 31); anterior margin glossy gray. (Ventral) Slightly lighter gray than dorsal surface, especially near anal margin.

Abdomen: Dorsum slate gray with a steely blue iridescence; venter light silvery gray with a steely blue iridescence.

Terminalia (fig. 335A–D): Tg8 slightly narrower distally, posterior margin with a wide, U-shaped mesal excavation, anterior margin broadly convex; St8 with a wide, strongly tapered anterior apodeme, its apex blunt; posterior excavation of St8 shallow, Ushaped; socii relatively wide; costa of valva short and wide, apex broadly expanded, forming a short distal process; rugose area at dorsum of BO strongly defined, ridges prominent; aedeagus wide at base, rounded, tapered distally to form a small apical process; vesica equal in width to aedeagus, dorsal group of cornuti long and stout, distal group of spinelike cornuti sparse (n 5 9–10), long and thin; vesica with a group of 7–10 small caltrop cornuti below apex.

Female. Forewing length 5 15.0–16.0 mm. Head and body characters similar to male except: labial palpus thinner; antenna ciliate, wide beyond base then gradually tapered; wings longer and broader than male, pattern otherwise similar; FW fovea absent; abdomen shorter and wider.

Terminalia (fig. 335E): AA long and thin, straight; PP thin and straight; dorsal lobe of PA well defined; DB elongate, membranous; sclerotized area at base of CB twisted, ventral section densely spinose; CB fairly wide, roughly ovoid, bent downward beyond signum; internal spines of signum elongate, straight, external knob of signum small but prominent; base of DS curved posteriorly.

ETYMOLOGY: This species name is taken from the Greek word loxos, meaning ‘‘slanting’’ or ‘‘crosswise’’. It refers to the unusually steep angle at the distal margin of the orange FW area, an important diagnostic feature for N. loxa .

DISTRIBUTION: Notascea loxa has been collected at two Peruvian localities (fig. 304), both in Cuzco Province. According to Gerardo Lamas (personal commun.), Cajón (13 ° 04 9 S, 71 ° 33 9 W), a hacienda frequented by the famous collector Otto Garlepp in the late 1800s, is located at 1330 meters near the town of Pilcopata in the Cosñipata Valley. The second locale, Rosalina—the type locality for N. loxa —was visited in 1996 by a team of collectors from the AMNH and MUSM. It is roughly 120 km northwest of Cajón along the eastern slope of the Andes. Additional collecting is needed to further refine the distributional limits of N. loxa .

DISCUSSION: This, the westernmost representative of Notascea , seems to occur at slightly higher elevations (750–1330 m) than other members of the genus. However, our knowledge of N. loxa is based on only four specimens worldwide, so much more remains to be learned. The two known pairs—a male and female from Cajón (USNM) and a male and female from Rosalina (AMNH) —were collected over 100 years apart.

The USNM paratypes of N. loxa bear labels, written by Warren in October 1907, identifying them as ‘‘ Scea figulina Butler’’ (1877a). That species is currently placed in Scearctia Hering , a genus of Pericopinae ( Arctiidae ). Warren’s knowledge of neotropical Lepidoptera was vast, so his misidentification only provides further testament to the remarkable mimicry that occurs between these Dioptinae and some members of the Arctiidae .

HOLOTYPE: Male (pl. 31). PERU: Cuzco: Rosalina , 750 m, 12 ° 40 9 S, 72 ° 37 9 W, 24 Feb 1996, coffee and 2nd growth, leg. Brower / Lamas / Sime / Snyder (genitalia slide no. JSM-1749 ). The type is deposited at the AMNH.

PARATYPES: PERU: Cuzco: 1♀, Rosalina , 750 m, 12 ° 40 9 S, 72 ° 37 9 W, 24 Feb 1996, coffee and 2nd growth, leg. Brower / Lamas / Sime / Snyder ( AMNH; genitalia slide no. JSM-1750 ) ; 1³, 1♀, Cajón ( USNM; genitalia slide Nos. JSM-912 , 913 ) .

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: None.

DISSECTED: 2³³, 2♀♀.

JOSIA HÜBNER, [1819] 1816

Figures

Fig. 304. Known distributions of newly described South American Josiini: Josia neblina, Notascea brevispinula, Notascea loxa, Phintia broweri, Polyptychia hermieri, and Scea torrida.

Fig. 331. Morphology of Notascea (³³). A, head of N. obliquaria, lateral view; B, head of N. obliquaria, frontal view; C, head of N. obliquaria, posterior view; D, head of N. loxa, sp. nov., lateral view; E, wings of N. obliquaria, showing outline of orange basal region and position of FW fascias (illustration by J.S. Miller).

Fig. 335. Genitalia of Notascea loxa, sp. nov. (holotype ³, JSM-1749; paratype ♀, JSM-1750). A, ³ genitalia; B, ³, St8; C, aedeagus, showing caltrop cornuti; D, ³, Tg8; E, ♀, genitalia (illustration by J.S. Miller).