Metecia lacustris ( Köhler, 1961 ) Kohler, 1961

Navarro, Fernando R., Barrionuevo, M. Jose & Blas, German San, 2015, A revision of the South American genus Metecia Snellen (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae), Zootaxa 4007 (4), pp. 567-579 : 573-575

Metecia lacustris ( Köhler, 1961) new combination

Figs 3, 4 , 8, 11, 12 , 16–18 , 24–26 , 32, 33 , 36 .

Pareuxoina lacustris Köhler, 1961: 78 , pl I, fig. 7; Köhler, 1967: 308, fig. 201 (checklist); Dapoto et al., 2003: 71 (checklist). Holotype: male [ Argentina], Neuquén, Laguna Blanca, 8.iii.1959 (M. Gentili) (IFML). Genitalia slide Nº 998 (P. Köhler coll.). Examined.

Pareuxoa lacustris: Poole, 1989: 779 (catalogue, new combination).

Diagnosis. Metecia lacustris can be identified by the following characters: 1) male antenna deeply bipectinate; 2) forewing streaks from wing base toward terminal area, never reaching apical margin; 3) head frons projection wart like with strongly crenate anterior margin; 4) juxta of the male genitalia with central horn on dorsal margin; 5) vesica basal diverticulum twisted in 1/4 of a spin, with big cornutus, 16X longer than wide; 6) corpus bursae of the female genitalia with sclerotized posterior dorsal plate, oval shaped; and 7) corpus bursae with one small left diverticulum of compact membrane on posterior 1/3.

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 3 ). Head frons pale brown, with central small wart–like projection of strongly crenate anterior margin, without raised edge ( Figs 11, 12 ); labial palpus whitish with reddish traces and with long hairlike scales; antennae deeply bipectinate ( Fig. 8 ).

Prothoracic collar pale brown with one dark brown line extending from head vertex blurring toward collar dorsal margin.

Forewing length 12.9–18.5 mm, brown; costa and veins pale brown; streaks from base of wing toward terminal area, anterior streak not reaching wing apical margin and not contiguous with cubitus, posterior streak along Cu vein, not reaching termen.

Genitalia ( Figs 17, 18 , 24–26 ) uncus with small apical dorsal projection, smooth ( Figs 17, 18 ), densely covered dorsally with strong small spines ( Fig. 18 ). Juxta dorsal margin produced into two minute triangular bars not connected to anellus sclerotized plates and one central heavily sclerotized horn, posteriorly directed ( Fig. 24 ). Valve 5X longer than wide; ampulla slender, weakly S-shaped, 0.2X as long as valve; clasper proper absent; digitus weakly sclerotized, free from inner surface of valve on apical 1/3, apex pointed and reaching valve posterior margin ( Fig. 24 ). Vesica ( Figs 25, 26 ) without ventral plate; basal diverticulum ventral, large, twisted in 1/4 of a spin, with apical strong cornuti, 16X longer than wide; subbasal diverticulum short, as long as wide, with apical cornuti, 0.25X as long as basal cornuti; apical diverticulum small.

Female ( Fig. 4 ) as in male except for: forewing length 12.1–15.5 mm and antenna filiform. Genitalia ( Figs 32, 33 ) with posterior apophysis 4X as long as anterior apophysis. Corpus bursae with sclerotized posterior dorsal plate, oval shaped and one small left diverticulum of compact membrane on posterior 1/3 ( Fig. 33 ). Corpus bursae as long as appendix bursae, both fused along posterior 1/2 of their length.

Bionomics and distribution. Besides two specimens collected in November and January, most specimens have been collected from mid–February to late March (late summer). Distribution restricted to Argentina (Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, and Santa Cruz) ( Fig. 36 ).

Material examined. (296 males, 40 females). ARGENTINA: Chubut. Comodoro Rivadavia, 1 male 10.iii.1937 (V. Oort), genitalia slide Nº 2104FN ( IFML), 1 male 4.iii.1938 (V. Oort) ( IFML), genitalia slide Nº 701 (Köhler coll.); Esquel, La Hoya, 900m, 6 males 3 females 13.iii.1991 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Esquel, Ruta 25, 750m, 13 males 14.iii.1991 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA). Neuquen. Aeropuerto Chapelco, 780m, 12 males 2 females 14.ii.1988 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); C. Cura, Carro Quebrado, 780m, 2 males 19.iii.1993 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); C. Cura, Rincón León, 650m, 3 males 15.iii.1997 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Catan–Lil, 2 males 24.ii.1958 (Schajovskoi) ( BMNH); C. Lil, Chachil, 1250m, 2 males 3 females 19.ii.1974 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); C. Lil, Cortader, 950m, 6 males 1 female 5.iii.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Chenque Pehuén, 1800m, 1 female 13.ii.1984 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), 1850m, 52 males 2.iii.1995 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Coloradas antena, 1000m, 12 males 17.ii.1988 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 86 males 2 females 2.iii.1990 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 17 males 1 female 27.ii.1993 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Confluencia Traful, 1 male 2 females 13.ii.1956 (Fleiss) ( ZSM), 700m, 1 male 17.ii.1982 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Ea. Alicura, 650m, 1 female 20.iii.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); La Pintada, 650m, 1 male 1.iv.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Lago Alumine, 1100m, 2 males 18.ii.1968 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Laguna blanca, 3 males 8.iii.1959 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), 1 male ( BMNH), 1270m, 9 males 3.iii.1984 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA), 1270m, 1 male 15.ii.1993 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Pampa Puttkamer, 975m, 25 males 1 female 14.ii.1988 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Paso Rahue, 1500m, 1 male 1.ii.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Piedra del Aguila, 580m, 1 male 21.ii.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Quilquihue, 750m, 1 male 2 females 8.iii.1980 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), 2 males 1 female 21.iii.1983 (M. y P. Gentili) (IADIZA); Sañico, 800m, 1 male 13.ii.1953 (Fleiss) ( ZSM), 2 males 14.ii.1953 (Fleiss) ( ZSM), 1 male 16.ii.1953 (Fleiss) ( ZSM), 950m, 2 males 6 females 13.iii.1972 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Zapala, Catutos, 1 male 12.iii.1962 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), 1 male 11.iii.1964 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA), 1 male 20.iii.1965 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA). Río Negro. Bariloche, 850m, 4 males 4 females 16.ii.1953 (Fleiss) ( ZSM); Cipolletti, 1 male 13.xi.1965 ( IFML), 1 female 25.iii.1958 (Fleiss) ( ZSM); Ea. El Cóndor, 900m, 14 males 26.i.1992 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Norquinco, 1 male 17.ii.1961 (Gy. Topál) ( ZSM), 1 female 18.ii.1961 (Gy. Topál) ( ZSM), 1 male 19.ii.1961 (Gy. Topál) ( ZSM). Santa Cruz. Guer – Aike, 25m, 1 male 8 females 2.ii.1976 (M. Gentili) (IADIZA); Punta Bandera, Lago Argentino, 1 male i.1963 (Margh.), genitalia slide Nº 2105FN ( IFML).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of Metecia species. White circles = M. cornifrons, red stars = M. lacustris, yellow triangles = M. hypothetica.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Male and female of Metecia. 1, M. cornifrons, male. 2, M. cornifrons, female. 3, M. lacustris, male. 4, M. lacustris, female. 5, M. hypothetica, male. 6, M. hypothetica, female. Scale lines: 10 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 14. 7 – 8, male antenna. 7, biserrate, doubly bifasciculate (Metecia hypothetica). 8, deeply bipectinate (M. lacustris). 9 – 14, Frons projections. 9, M. cornifrons (lateral view). 10, M. cornifrons (anterolateral view). 11, M. lacustris (lateral view). 12, M. lacustris (anterolateral view). 13, M. hypothetica (lateral view). 14, M. hypothetica (anterolateral view).

FIGURES 15 – 18. 15 – 16, male abdominal segment VIII. 15, Metecia cornifrons. 16, M. lacustris. 17 – 18, M. lacustris male genitalia, uncus (lateral view). 17, uncus apex curved upwards. 18, close up of uncus apex showing dorsal strong small spines.

FIGURES 19 – 29. Male genitalia. 19 – 23, Metecia cornifrons. 19, male genitalia. 20, aedeagus (lateral view). 21, sclerotized plate (close up). 22, subbasal diverticulum left margin (close up). 23, aedeagus (dorsal view). 24 – 26, M. lacustris. 24, male genitalia. 25, aedeagus (lateral view). 26, aedeagus (dorsal view). 27 – 29, M. hypothetica. 27, male genitalia. 28, aedeagus (lateral view). 29, aedeagus (dorsal view).

FIGURES 30 – 35. Female genitalia. 30, Metecia cornifrons (lateral view). 31, M. cornifrons (dorsal view). 32, M. lacustris (lateral view). 33, M. lacustris (dorsal view). 34, M. hypothetica (lateral view). 35, M. hypothetica (dorsal view).