Diptychophora galvani, Landry & Becker, 2021

Landry, Bernard & Becker, Vitor O., 2021, A taxonomic review of the genus Diptychophora Zeller (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae sensu lato, Crambinae) in Brazil, with descriptions of three new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 128 (1), pp. 73-84 : 74-75

Diptychophora galvani sp. n.

Figs 8 , 13 , 17

Material examined

Holotype: female; VBC, without catalogue number; Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, 800 m; 7- 8.04.1996; V.O. Becker collector; Collection Becker 106575 .

Paratypes (2 males, 1 female): 1 male; MHNGENTO-84604 (dissected); same data as holotype; DNA voucher Lepidoptera B. Landry n°043 . – 1 female; VBC, without catalogue number; Brazil, Minas Gerais, Unaí, 700 m; 03.11.1983; V.O. Becker, collector; Collection Becker 49809 ; genitalia slide BL 1880 . – 1 male; VBC, without catalogue number; Brazil, Minas Gerais, Unaí, 700 m; 07.11.1982; V.O. Becker, collector; Collection Becker 49079 .

Diagnosis: No other species of Diptychophora have a forewing pattern in any way similar to that of this species in the large median grey section bordered by dark brown lines and preceded and followed by orange sections. In male genitalia the elongate uncus fused with the tegumen represents a distinctive feature and in female genitalia, the presence of two signa, one crescentic and the other crease-shaped, is unique among the New World members of Diptychophora .

Etymology: This new taxon is named in honour of Dr Ricardo Magnus Osório Galvão, professor of the Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo, for his courage in the face of professional adversity. The orange colour of the moth’s forewings are reminiscent of the devastating fires that had become more prevalent in the Amazon in 2019, compared to 2018, based on Dr Galvão and his team’s scientific data that cost Dr Galvão his position of Director of the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research in August 2019.

Description: ( Fig. 8 ). Head with frons slightly rounded, not projecting, with vestiture short scaled, white to pale yellow on ventral half, yellowish orange above and between antennae; posterior eye margin scales pale yellow to yellowish orange; vertex and occiput with undercover of short and thin white scales covered by posterolateral tuft of thin yellowish orange scales projecting medioanteriorly to medioposteriorly. Antenna dark brown dorsally and white ventrally on scape, pedicel and first 1-2 flagellomeres, light yellowish brown on subsequent flagellomeres. Maxillary palpus white at base, light yellowish orange toward apex. Labial palpus not reaching beyond yellowish orange apex of maxillary palpus, with vestiture mostly white to light yellow, with some pale greyish brown laterally at base. Haustellum white scaled. Thorax with patagia orange with pale dark brown at tip laterally; tegula orange with dark brown base; between tegulae orange with broad dark brown bars from base to middle; apex with orange medially and white laterally. Male forewing length: 4.5 mm, wingspan: 10.0 mm. Female forewing length: 5.0-5.5 (holotype: 5.0 mm), wingspan 11.0-12.0 mm (holotype: 11.0 mm). Female frenulum with 2 or 3 acanthae, not clearly visible on available specimens. Male with white hindwing with terminal margin at apex light brown and with white fringes except for grey brown tips of apical scales; female wings with colour and pattern as illustrated ( Fig. 8 ). Prothoracic leg coxa and trochanter white and light yellowish brown; femur yellowish brown, darker blackish brown at tip, white medially at base; tibia orange at base, dark brown on second half, white at tip; first tarsomere light yellowish orange at base, subsequently dark brown and white at tip; second tarsomere white; third and fourth tarsomeres dark brown; fifth white. Mesothoracic leg coxa and trochanter white with some light yellow; femur light yellowish orange with greyish brown at apex; tibia and first tarsomere light yellowish orange; second and third tarsomeres white with dark brown base; fourth white; fifth dark brown with white tip. Metathoracic leg coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, and first tarsomere pale dirty yellowish white, second to fifth tarsomeres as on mesothoracic leg. Male abdomen pale yellowish white all around. Female abdomen dorsally mostly greyish brown, with pale dirty yellowish white on first tergite apically and yellowish grey at apex; ventrally yellowish white. Female abdominal segment VII about twice as long as preceding segment, narrower, more thickly sclerotized and thickly scaled along apical margin.

Male genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 13 ). Uncus elongate, triangular in side view, without clearly visible line of demarcation from tegumen; distal section of medium girth, apically triangular and slightly upturned. Subscaphium distinctly sclerotized, forming thin band narrowing to apical point. Gnathos thin, with distal arm at right angle from shorter lateral arms, slightly curving upward at about 1/3 and apically, reaching tip of subscaphium. Tegumen with posterior lateral arms straight and narrow, anterior plates distinctly separated from posterior arms from mid-length, subtriangular, with broadly rounded posterior margin. Juxta shield like, with convex lateral margins, with apical margin V-shaped. Valva short, slightly longer than broad (length/width ratio: 1.17), with dorsal section about 3X as produced as ventral section and more abundantly setose along dorsal margin on apical third. Vinculum very narrow, with short, rounded median projection. Phallus slightly shorter than valva, straight, of medium girth, mostly membranous, ventrally with thin sclerotized band enlarging subapically to cover ventral wall and lateral walls partly; vesica adorned with numerous spinules on apical third in invaginated state.

Female genitalia (n=1) ( Fig. 17 ). Papillae anales small, subtriangular, ventrally longer, narrowing to about half of ventral length dorsally, moderately setose and covered with setulae. Posterior apophysis connecting to sclerotized plate of base of papilla analis at its dorsal edge, short, about as long as width of papilla analis, straight, reaching about middle of segment VIII. Tergite VIII of medium length; anterior apophysis about as long as posterior apophysis but slightly sturdier and bent at about 1/3. Ostium bursae a wide membranous funnel adorned with several transverse rows of fine and short sclerotized striae. Ductus bursae of medium girth, bent subbasally, spinulate, and lightly sclerotized in bend ventrally, scobinated partly on median third and all around on distal third. Ductus seminalis connecting on right side of ductus bursae at about 1/3 from its base. Corpus bursae large, almost as long as ductus bursae, subcircular, with right margin nearly straight, scobinated all around, but more thickly so at base and around signa; with thin, boomerang-shaped signum at about 1/3 from base and smaller rounded signum forming crease on opposite side and slightly closer to base.

Biology: Unknown. The specimens were collected in the Cerrado Biome, at the edge of gallery forest.

Distribution: Presently known from Brazil only, specimens were collected in the states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais.

Remarks: Two more specimens in the NHMUK were unavailable during the time of the description and hence not included in the type series.

Figures

Figs 1-8. Habiti of Diptychophora species. (1) D. subazanalis female, Brazil, Rondonia (VBC). (2) D. kuhlweinii male, Brazil, Bahia (MHNG). (3) D. diasticta, male, Brazil, Minas Gerais (VBC). (4) D. diasticta, female, Brazil, Minas Gerais (VBC). (5) D. ardalia, holotype (VBC). (6) D. planaltina, holotype (VBC). (7) D. planaltina, paratype female, Brazil, Federal District (VBC). (8) D. galvani, holotype (VBC).

Figs 13-14. Male genitalia of Diptychophora species, (a) without phallus, (b) phallus. (13) D. galvani. (14) D. diasticta.

Figs 17-19. Female genitalia of Diptychophora species. (17) D. galvani. (18) D. diasticta. (19) D. planaltina.