Leucosigma uncifera Druce, 1908

Goldstein, Paul Z., Janzen, Daniel H., Proshek, Benjamin, Dapkey, Tanya & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2018, A review of Leucosigma Druce, 1908: a newly discovered case of fern-feeding and descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae), ZooKeys 788, pp. 87-133 : 91-93

Leucosigma uncifera Druce, 1908 Figs 1-6, 13, 14, 23, 24; Male genitalia: Figs 53-56, 77-80, 111, 112; Female genitalia: Fig. 105

Leucosigma uncifera Druce, 1908: 302. Type locality: Peru: [Puno] Carabaya, La Oroya.

Poole (1989) included Leucosigma Hampson, 1908 (preoccupied) as a junior synonym of Leucosigma Druce, 1908.

Material examined.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: La Oroya, Carabaya, Peru, 3000 ft. iii. 1905. G. Ockenden., B. 433 4462, Brit. Mus. 1930-75, Leucosigma uncifera type, Druce, Type, NHMUK010606200. Type at NHMUK (BMNH).

Other material examined.

Costa Rica: (14♂,5♀): Males: Guanacaste (9♂): Sector Cacao: Cima, 10.93259, -85.45889, el. 1450m, 07/12/2010, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 10-SRNP-111595, USNMENT01437310, 09-SRNP-100529, USNMENT01437201; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 03/03/2006, H. Cambronero & F. Quesada, collector, 06-SRNP-102855, USNMENT01437242; Sector Del Oro: Serrano, 11.00023, -85.45621, el. 585m, 11/08/2007, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 07-SRNP-109808, USNMENT01437187; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 02/16/2007, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 07-SRNP-100616, USNMENT01437320; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 02/17/2007, S Rios & F. Quesada, collector, 07-SRNP-101239, USNMENT01437200; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 02/16/2007, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 07-SRNP-100629, USNMENT01438859; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 03/01/2006, S. Rios & R. Franco, collector, 06-SRNP-102374, USNMENT01438843, USNM Dissection 148199; Sector Cacao: Cima, 10.93259, -85.45889, el. 1450m, 07/12/2010, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 10-SRNP-111594, USNMENT01437221; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 02/17/2007, S Rios & F. Quesada, collector, 07-SRNP-101266, USNMENT01437266; Alajuela (5♂): Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Rio Francia, 10.90425, -85.28651, el. 410m, 01/24/2009, R. Franco & S. Rios, collector, 09-SRNP-100529; Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Albergue Oscar, Casa, 10.86623, -85.32693, el. 719m, 01/03/2011, H. Cambronero & F. Quesada, collector, 11-SRNP-100029, USNMENT01438838, USNM Dissection 148102; Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Wege Palmeras, 10.96869, -85.31965, el. 369m, 10/22/2014, S. Rios & H. Cambronero, collector,14-SRNP-104353, USNMENT01437217; Sector Rincon Rain Forest: Albergue Oscar, Casa, 10.86627, -85.32605, el. 725m, 02/11/2010, S. Rios & F. Quesada, collector, 10-SRNP-104917, USNMENT01437285; Sector San Cristobal: Estacion San Gerardo, 10.88009, -85.38887, el. 575m, 10/11/2007, F. Quesada & R. Franco, collector, 07-SRNP-109451, USNMENT01370293, USNM Dissection 148101. Females: Costa Rica. Tuis. 2,500 ft. June. W. Schaus. 1910-110. Leucosigma uncifera Druce, NHMUK010606201; Guanacaste (4♀): Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 02/28/2006, S. Rios & H. Cambronero, collector, 06-SRNP-101607, USNMENT01437350; Sector Pailas: Manta Copelares, 10.81692, -85.34679, el. 1478m, 09/07/2010, S. Rios & R. Franco, collector, 10-SRNP-113265, USNMENT01437197, USNM Dissection 148103; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 04/03/2011, F. Quesada & S. Rios, collector, 11-SRNP-102284, USNMENT01437255, USNM Dissection 148104; Sector Pitilla: Estacion Pitilla, 10.98931, -85.42581, el. 675m, 11/13/2012, S. Rios & H. Cambronero, collector, 12-SRNP-105657, USNMENT01370289.

Diagnosis.

The predominantly orange-russet forewing coloration and U-shaped solid white stigma diagnose this species from all others currently described; apical patch reduced to a white line extending from R5 to costa; post-medial line complete on underside of forewing, where terminal area appears dusted in green and contrasts with medial area; postmedial line almost complete on underside of hind wing. Cucullus pincer-like, the inner edge distal to its juncture with dorsal process straight for more than half its length before bending sharply and terminating in a sharp point.

Re-description.

Head. Male and female antennae setose-ciliate with dorsal cupreous scales; male antennae bifasciculate. Frons, vertex, and basal two segments of labial palpus with orange/russet-colored scales; 3rd segment palpus and antennal scape edged with white scaling. Eyes smooth.

Thorax. Patagial “fans” appearing banded, two patches of green scales towards base, purplish medially, becoming paler or sunset-orange towards the crest; remainder of prothoracic vestiture a mix of purplish and russet scales. Wings. Forewing length 10.5 mm (holotype, male), average 10.3 mm (males, n = 4), 11.0 mm (females, n = 2). Predominantly russet orange; grayish purple in the spaces between R4 and R5, M1 and M3, and CuA2 and 1A. U-shaped stigma uniformly white. Moss-green scaling in the outer part of the apical patch and in the medial area towards the inner margin. Basal, antemedial, and postmedial lines white along inner edges, black outward; medial line more faint. Underside pattern elements more distinct than in other Leucosigma species): both forewing and hind wing postmedial lines visible, the postmedial area suffused throughout with green scaling. Legs. Scales predominantly pinkish; femoral and tibial scales with an admixture of lime green; a single pair of striped mid-tibial spurs, two pairs on hind-tibiae; three rows of tibial spines on all legs.

Abdomen. Male dorsum covered uniformly in tannish-gray scales and hairs, predominantly lilac gray in females; abdominal underside more variably scaled with lilacine and reddish brown.

Male genitalia. Uncus elongate, widest subapically, upwardly curved with a very small apical point, and bearing ventral setal crest. Tegumen raised at base of uncus. Vinculum a shallow V-shape; saccus bluntly pointed. Juxta pentagonal, dorsal edge horizontal; annellar arms fused, hoop-like. Sacculus (1) rounded apically, without sclerotized tip or point, its edges and those of dorsal process (3) setose; cucullus (2) appearing chelicerate, the sclerotized part occupying>1/3 its overall length but bending sharply at the outer edge near the sharply pointed apex with a subapical tuft of reëntrant spine-like setae; finger-like dorsal process (3) coequal in width to cucullus, to which it is joined midway; clasper (4) an elongate, bent free sclerite, embedded in sacculus. Distal part of aedeagus and basal part of vesica minimally spinulose, with small sclerotized apical flange and small, bilobate subbasal diverticulum.

Female genitalia. Posterior apophyses less than twice as long as anterior apophyses. Lamella antevaginalis invaginated posteriorly, convex anteriorly. Colliculum undeveloped. Ductus undifferentiated, dimensionally intermediate for genus (cf. L. chloe , below), similar in length to 8th abdominal segment. Corpus bursae elongate, obliquely bent, banana-shaped or sub-triangular when distended with spermatophore(s).

Immature stages. Unknown.

Etymology.

Likely refers to the u-shaped forewing stigma.

Biology.

The life history of this species is unknown; to our knowledge, this species has never been reared, and has only been taken at lights. All SRNP-coded specimens with DNA barcodes examined were light-trapped in ACG rain forest.

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Peru. Specimens identified as L. uncifera are reported and have been DNA barcoded from Ecuador, Venezuela, and French Guiana.

Remarks.

The brightly colored orange-russet Leucosigma uncifera , the type species of Leucosigma , is the most visually distinct and atypical of the entire group, but the male genitalia are strikingly similar to those of L. solisae . DNA barcode data suggest the existence of undescribed species in a complex with L. uncifera , and it is not unlikely that additional sampling will reveal that the Costa Rican species are not conspecific with typical L. uncifera .