Doryodes desoto Lafontaine & Sullivan

Lafontaine, J. Donald & Sullivan, J. Bolling, 2015, A revision of the genus Doryodes Guenee, 1857, with descriptions of six new species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Catocalinae, Euclidiini), ZooKeys 527, pp. 3-30 : 9-11

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Erebidae

Doryodes desoto Lafontaine & Sullivan sp. n. Figs 4, 34

Type material.

Holotype ♂. Florida, Pinellas Co., Ft. Desoto Park nr St. Petersburg, 4 Jan. 1968, J. D. Lafontaine. CNC. Paratypes: 2 ♂. Florida. Gulf Co., Rd. to Cape San Blas, nr Port St Joe, 29.8°N, 85.3°W, 31 July 1998, Jeff Slotten, genitalia slide FLMNH-MGCL 02944 (1 ♂). Florida, Sarasota Co., Siesta Key, 3 Feb. 1952, C.P. Kimball, genitalia slide FLMNH-MGCL 02948 (1 ♂). FSCA.

Etymology.

This species is named after Ft. De Soto Park, Florida.

Diagnosis.

This species is superficially indistinguishable from Doryodes spadaria , Doryodes fusselli , and Doryodes broui , although its range on the Gulf Coast of Florida is north and west of the range of Doryodes spadaria and Doryodes fusselli , and east of the range of Doryodes broui . Forewing length is 16 mm, on the small size for Doryodes spadaria , but within the normal range of the other similar species. The species can be definitively identified only by the male vesica, particularly by the long, narrow diverticulum 1, which is about 4-5 × as long as its basal width and with an apical, deeply serrated rooster-comb-like cornutus; diverticulum 2 is on the left side of the vesica, not posterior as in Doryodes bistrialis ; diverticulum 4 is preapical on the right, without a cornutus, and diverticulum 5 forms a projecting lobe with a cone-shaped diverticulum on its left side.

Description.

External structural characters as described for genus. Forewing length 16 mm; forewing whitish buff with slightly darker-buff and pale-gray streaks; a prominent blackish-brown stripe along the middle of wing, curving upward and tapered at about ¾ from base; stripe narrower than for Doryodes spadaria and Doryodes okaloosa , but wider than for Doryodes bistrialis ; stripe bordered by narrow white line above extending to ¾ from base, and with similar white line below stripe extending from above forewing tornus almost to wing apex. Hind wing white with very faint buffy tone. Male genitalia mainly as described for genus. Dorsal heavily-sclerotized margin of valve extending beyond middle membranous part, then tapered abruptly into a sharp spine; ventral sclerotized margin of valve not evenly tapered, but widens slightly preapically then tapered to blunt point free from inner membranous part of valve. Aedeagus cylindrical, 8-9 × as long as mesial width. Vesica with swollen area distal to end of aedeagus, 0.4-0.5 × as long as aedeagus and about 2 × as long as wide, with two spinule-covered sclerotized plates, these partially or completely divided into as many as four plates each with less spinules; diverticulum 1 finger-like, 4.5-5.5 × as long as mesial width, with apical serrated cornutus; diverticulum 2 rounded, on left side at base of diverticulum 1, with shark-fin-like cornutus; diverticulum 3 quadrate, on right side and without a cornutus; diverticulum 4 preapical, on right side without a cornutus; diverticulum 5 forming a bulbous apical lobe with a rounded spine-tipped cornutus on left side.

Distribution and biology.

This species is known only from three male specimens, all from the Gulf Coast of Florida between Sarasota County and Gulf County. Collecting dates are in January, February, and July. Nothing is known of its biology except it is associated with coastal salt marshes.