Diaphania yurakyana Vila, Piñas & Clavijo, 2004

Vila, Roger, Piñas, Francisco & Clavijo, José A., 2004, A new species of Diaphania Hübner, 1818 from Ecuador (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae), Zootaxa 539, pp. 1-8 : 2-7

Diaphania yurakyana Vila, Piñas & Clavijo , n. sp.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 ): Frons dark brown. Long scales on vertex, white­yellowish on center and dark brown on frontal and lateral margins. Exposed areas of maxillary palpus dark brown, white­yellowish internally. Labial palpus mostly dark brown, except white base and white­yellowish internal part and narrow apical segment. Proboscis with whiteyellowish base, dark brown medially, with some white scales ventrally, and white apically. Antenna with long cilia (1/2 of length of 3rd antennal segment) and brown, with base (1/4 of the total length) darker dorsally. Patagium dark­brown. Tegula dark­brown, with a thick white region on posterior margin. Mesonotum brown, with white scales on posterior margin. Metanotum white. Thoracic pleura and sterna white. Fore femur and tibia brown dorsally. Middle femur white­yellowish, with posterior margin brown. Middle tibia brown dorsally and white ventrally. Middle tibia ratio Inner Spur/Outer Spur (IS/OS) = 3.8. Posterior leg white, except some brown scales on apical margin of femur, dorsally, and on apical margin of tibia, under apical outer spur. Preapical tibial spurs ( Fig. 2 ) situated far from tibia apex and IS/OS = 2.9. Inner preapical spur slightly curved. Apical spurs IS/OS = 2.5. Forewing almost entirely dark brown, with a small white triangular region in middle of posterior margin. Hindwing white, with apex dark brown and a small dark spot where M2, M3 and Cu1 converge ( Fig. 1 ). Forewing length 12.1–12.4 mm (mean = 12.2 mm). Hindwing length 8.1–8.7 mm (mean = 8.4 mm). Anepisternal organ consists of one cluster of light brown scales situated in a depression on posterior region of anepisternum. Evaporation area composed of a series of ridges, situated on posterior part of anepisternal depression. Abdomen mostly white with last two terga brown. Anal tuft with brown­yellowish scales, darker in terminal part.

Genitalia ( Fig. 3 a): Uncus long with well developed tip covered with short dorsal spines; ventral side with setae covering distal half of uncus. Tegumen long, wide, arched, strongly sclerotized. Subscaphius strap like. Transtilla composed of triangular lateral elements, meeting in mid­line. Juxta small and narrow. Vinculum composed of curved lateral elements and short scoop­shaped ventral area. Valva somewhat rhomboidal, costa bent before middle and ventral margin bent beyond middle, apex broadly rounded, strong, including subcostal ridge. Clasper clawlike, directed distally, curved mesally at apex, supported basally by distally oblique bar, and ventrally by short basally oblique bar extending to sacculus. Sacculus narrow, with even ridge­like dorsal edge, ridge finely setose dorsally. Penis of moderate proportions; aedeagus very weakly sclerotized, with straplike strengthening on ventral side; vesica unarmed.

Female: Unknown.

Diagnosis. The wing pattern ( Fig. 1 ), with the forewing almost entirely dark brown except for a white triangular region in the middle of the posterior margin, and the hindwing showing a dark spot in M3, separates this species from all other Diaphania ( Fig. 4 ). The location, shape, and length ratio of the legs spurs also constitute informative diagnostic characters. The middle tibial spurs length ratio (IS/OS = 3.8) is intermediate between the similar species D. interpositalis , with IS/OS = 3, and D. argealis and D. novicialis , with IS/OS = 4. Preapical tibial spurs of the posterior leg are ( Fig. 2 ) situated farther from the tibia apex than in D. argealis , D. interpositalis and D. novicialis , and IS/OS = 2.9, much lower than the IS/OS = 5 for the other three species. The slightly curved inner preapical spur is very different from the markedly club­shaped spur of D. argealis and D. interpositalis . Apical spurs IS/OS = 2.5 and is quite similar to the IS/OS = 2.2 for D. interpositalis . The male genital morphology ( Fig. 3 ) is similar to D. argealis , D. interpositalis , and D. novicialis , as depicted by Clavijo (1990). The uncus is long as in D. novicialis , compared to the shorter and straight uncus of both D. argealis and D. interpositalis . The abundance and length of the pilosity of the terminal half of the uncus is intermediate between D. argealis / D. interpositalis and D. novicialis . The terminal part of the valva often is wider and more rounded than in the other three species.

Diaphania argealis is known from Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador; D. interpositalis only from Brazil, and D. novicialis from Costa Rica and Colombia.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Hostplants. Unknown, but the larva possibly feeds on plants in the family Cucurbitaceae , as do all other species of Diaphania where life histories are known.

Type material. Holotype male: Yasuní, Ecuador, 350 m, 20.IX.96, F. Piñas leg. The genitalia is mounted in DMHF medium and pinned with the specimen to be deposited in the Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola ( MIZA) at Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay, Venezuela.

Paratypes: 2 males, Yasuní, Ecuador, 350 m, 20.IX.96, F. Piñas leg. One to be deposited in MIZA and the other (with genitalia mounted in DMHF medium and pinned with the specimen) in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. 1 male, Pto. Francisco de Orellana, Coca, Ecuador, 3.VIII.98, R. Vila leg. (in R. Vila collection).

Etymology. The species epithet yurakyana is a composite word from the Quichua, one of the local Ecuadorian indigenous languages, which means white and black (yurak = white; yana = black). It describes the coloration of the new species, which is dedicated to the native people of Ecuador.

Distribution. Only known from the Amazonian tropical rainforest of Ecuador.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diaphania yurakyana sp. n. holotype male (before the extraction of the genitalia). Yasuní, Ecuador, 350 m, 20. IX. 96 F. Piñas leg. a. upperside b. underside.

FIGURE 2. Lateral external view of the male left posterior tibia. a. holotype of Diaphania yurakyana sp. n.; b. D. argealis; c. D. interpositalis; d. D. novicialis. [b, c and d extracted from Clavijo (1990)].

FIGURE 3. Lateral view of the male genitalia (bottom) and aedeagus (top). a. holotype of Diaphania yurakyana sp. n.; b. D. argealis; c. D. interpositalis; d. D. novicialis. [b, c and d extracted from Clavijo (1990)].

FIGURE 4 Species most similar to Diaphania yurakyana sp. n. a. Male D. argealis. San Pedro de Cataniapo, Territorio Federal de Amazonas, Venezuela, 100 m, 23 – 31. VI­ II. 1982, J. L. García leg.; b. Holotype male of D. interpositalis. San Paulo, Brasil (The Natural History Museum, London); c. Holotype female of D. novicialis. Guapiles Sixula River, [Costa Rica], IX­ 1911, Type 17583 (National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D. C.).