Pseudohemihyalea potosi Schmidt, 2009

Schmidt, Christian, 2009, Revision of the " Aemilia " ambigua (Strecker) species-group (Noctuidae, Arctiinae), ZooKeys 9 (9), pp. 63-78 : 75-76

Pseudohemihyalea potosi Schmidt , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:74CFED3B-3341-47E4-8035-2C6BA4D5B4C5

Figs. 5 , 10 , 14 , 19 , 25

Type material. Holotype – ♁, Mexico, N[uveo] L[eón], Cerro Potosí , 10,300’, 15-16 Jul 1963, H. and A. Howden [ CNC] . Paratypes – 2 ♁♁, same data as holotype [ CNC].

Diagnosis. Pseudohemihyalea potosi is most similar to P. ambigua , but can be distinguished by its larger size (forewing length 25 mm or more, vs. 24 mm or less in P. ambigua ). Internally, the saccular process is long and rounded in P. potosi , short and triangular in P. ambigua , and the uncus is half again as large with a deeper basal cleft and more elongate basal lobes.

Description. Head – male antennae strongly bipectinate, longest rami about 5.7 x longer than segment length; dorsal antennal scales pale rusty brown; vestiture of palpi mostly pink with a few rust scales, frons and vertex rust, pinkish red bordering patagia. Thorax – vertex of thorax, patagia and tegulae rusty tan, tegulae tinged with pink laterally; ventrally, thorax rusty tan tinged with pink; legs rusty tan, pink dorso-medially. Forewing – length 25.7 mm (n = 3); intervenal areas ivory white, sparsely scaled, semi-translucent; veins broadly lined with rusty tan; fringe and costal margin tan-lined, anal margin with narrow white border; pattern similar ventrally but colours appearing washed-out. Hindwing – sparsely scaled, semi-translucent, pale tan white overall; anal margin more densely scaled with faintly pinkish scales, although colours may be somewhat faded due to age of the specimens at hand. Abdomen – pink tan dorsally, pale tan ventrally; coremata absent. Male genitalia – uncus shaped like a bicycle saddle, basal lobes heavily setose dorsally; apical portion slender, finger-like, slightly wider than median portion, with a spade-shaped dorsal profile; apex bluntly pointed, slightly down curved; division between costal and saccular processes extending over slightly more than one-third of total valve length; apex of both processes bluntly rounded; vinculum consisting of a short, broad, scobinate conical projection; juxta urn-shaped in outline, with medial keel along dorso-ventral axis; saccus short, extending slightly cephalad beyond tegumen; vesica relatively small, simple, globose, without spines but with very fine indistinct cornuti. Female genitalia – unknown.

Biology and distribution. Pseduohemihyalea potosi is currently known only from Cerro Potosí, the highest peak in the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. This area is known for its high plant diversity and endemicity.

Figures

Figure 25. Distribution of examined specimens of Pseudohemihyalea.

Figures 1-5. 1a. P. ambigua male (Santa Cruz Co., AZ, USA). 1b. P. ambigua female (Cochise Co., AZ, USA). 2a. P. syracosia male (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 2b. P. syracosia female (Chiapas, Mexico). 3a. P. fallaciosa male (Chiapas, Mexico). 3b. P. fallaciosa female (Zacapa Dpto., Guatemala). 4a. P. sonorosa male paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 4b. P. sonorosa female paratype (Sonora, Mexico). 5. P. potosi male holotype (Nuevo Leon, Mexico).

Figures 6-10. 6. P. ambigua, right lateral view of male genital capsule, aedeagus removed. 7. P. syracosia, lateral view of right valve. 8. P. fallaciosa, lateral view of right valve. 9. P. sonorosa, lateral view of right valve. 10. P. potosi, lateral view of right valve.

Figures 11-15. Dorsal view of uncus (setae omitted). 11. P. ambigua. 12. P. syracosia. 13. P. fallaciosa. 14. P. potosi. 15. P. sonorosa.

Figures 16-20. Left lateral view of aedeagus, with fully inflated vesica. 16. P. ambigua. 17. P. syracosia. 18. P. fallaciosa. 19. P. potosi. 20. P. sonorosa.