Terifrona Brown, 2024

Brown, John W., 2024, New genera and species of tortricid moths from Chile and Argentina (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Zootaxa 5551 (1), pp. 51-90 : 53-55

Terifrona Brown , new genus

LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DC776D6C-C176-4E25-B9FB-709E3DBB57F1

Type species: Terifrona fronteria Brown , new species.

Diagnosis. Superficially, Terifrona is somewhat similar to a few smaller species of Proeulia . It has a pale orangish brown forewing ground color and a variable brown oblique median fascia; relatively short labial palpi; and a uniformly pale cream-colored hindwing ( Fig. 2 ). It is easily distinguished from all other euliine genera by the highly modified male genitalia, which feature a broad uncus with a conspicuous, rounded emargination apically; a complex gnathos with strongly sclerotized lateral flanges bearing tiny teeth; and a comparatively narrow valva with a broad semicircular excavation of the sacculus. The female genitalia are equally unusual, with a pair of sclerotized processes dorsal to the papillae anales and extremely short apophyses anteriores. In addition, the adult is unusual in lacking ocelli.

Description. Head: Vertex rough-scaled, with scales directed anteriorly, a pair of conspicuous somewhat fan-shaped scale patches subdorsally at posterior margin of head; scales of upper frons rough, scales of lower frons shorter, more appressed to surface of frons; antenna ca. 0.5 length of forewing, non-serrate, with one row of scales per flagellomere, sensory setae ca. 0.8 times width of flagellomere in male, shorter and sparser in female; ocellus absent; chaetosemata well developed; labial palpus with scaling slightly expanded distally on second segment, third segment exposed, combined length of all segments ca. 1.25 times diameter of compound eye.

Thorax: Dorsum smooth-scaled, metathoracic tuft absent. Legs unmodified, without hairpencil or other male secondary scales. Forewing length ca. 2.3 times width; costa evenly arched throughout, male without costal fold; apex pointed, termen straight, oblique; all veins present and separate, chorda absent, M-stem present, R 4 to costa, R 5 to termen. Hindwing with all veins present and separate, Rs and M 1 short-stalked; CuP weak at margin; frenulum with one bristle in male, three in female.

Abdomen: Male genitalia ( Fig. 21 ) with tegumen extremely broad, rounded; vinculum short, U-shaped; uncus extremely broad basally, abruptly narrowed at 0.6 from base, with abruptly expanded apex with a U-shaped excavation apically; socius short-digitate, with fine setae; gnathos complex, with long sclerotized median process subtended latero-basally by broad curved upturned flanges, one on each side of median process, each bearing tiny teeth along distal margin; transtilla a simple, straight, weakly sclerotized band lacking spines; valva comparatively narrow with concavity at distal margin creating a broad somewhat lobe-like apex, sacculus strongly sclerotized, extending ca. 0.66 distance of ventral margin of valva, with a deep semicircular excavation near middle, ending in a free, rod-like tip; juxta a nearly circular plate; phallus slender, J-shaped, lacking cornuti. Female genitalia ( Fig. 40 ) with papilla analis broad, ca. 2.5 times as long as wide, rounded posteriorly, slightly attenuate in anterior 0.1; sclerotized, sinuate processes immediately dorsal to papilla analis, ca. 0.6 length of papilla analis, one behind each papilla analis; apophyses slender, anteriores extremely short, ca. 0.15 length of posteriores; sterigma simple, broad, weakly sclerotized, with a pair of weak, subrectangular plates at posterior margin of lamella postvaginalis; ductus bursae short, without conspicuous antrum; corpus bursae membranous, with irregular sclerite near junction of corpus and ductus bursae.

Etymology. The generic name is an anagram of the species name— fronteria , which refers to the type locality of Rosario de la Frontera.

Figures

FIGURES 1‒8.Adults of tortricid species from Chile andArgentina.1. Argentiliana basipallidana, paratype female. 2. Terifrona fronteria, holotype male. 3. Transtilliana biloba, paratype male. 4. Transtilliana biloba, paratype male. 5. Vargasia karsholti, holotype male. 6. Hamiamia trancasiana, Chile, Ñuble Province. 7. Varifula fulvaria, Chile, Aconcagua Province. 8. Varifula geomops, holotype male.

FIGURES 21‒28. Male genitalia of tortricid species from Chile and Argentina. 21. Terifrona fronteria, USNM slide 145,517. 22. Transtilliana biloba, USNM slide 154,846. 23. Vargasia karsholti, Horak slide GP 733. 24. Hamiamia trancasiana, USNM slide 92,490. 25. Varifula fulvaria, USNM slide 154,848. 26. Varifula geomops, USNM slide 68,492. 27. Proeulia hasta, furca attached to phallus, USNM slide 154,802. 28. Proeulia hasta, furca in situ, USNM slide 81,233.

FIGURES 39‒44. Female genitalia of tortricid species from Chile and Argentina. 39. Argentiliana basipallida, USNM slide 154,800. 40. Terifrona fronteria, USNM slide 145,518. 41. Transtilliana biloba, USNM slide 154,847. 42. Vargasia karsholti, JWBrown slide 1216. 43. Hamiamia trancasiana, USNM slide 92491. 44. Varifula fulvaria, USNM slide 88,471.