Cossula longirostrum, Davis & Gentili-Poole & Mitter, 2008

Davis, Steve R., Gentili-Poole, Patricia & Mitter, Charles, 2008, A revision of the Cossulinae of Costa Rica and cladistic analysis of the world species (Lepidoptera: Cossidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154 (2), pp. 222-277 : 271-272

COSSULA LONGIROSTRUM SP. NOV.

( FIGS 46, 47 , 85, 86 , 105 , 142)

Male ( Fig. 46 ): Forewing length: 18 mm. Head: Antenna with shaft and rami brown; labial palpus dark brown dorsally, lighter brown and cream ventrally; frons with scales cream, light brown and brown; vertex mostly fuscous with dark brown suffusion.

Thorax: Patagia mostly fuscous with some light rustybrown and greyish tan scales basally and fuscous apically; tegula creamy white, irrorated with light brown and fuscous; dorsum similar to tegula, but with more brown; pleura creamy light brown; venter brown, mixed with creamy white. Legs with femur and tibia brown, mixed with creamy white laterally, and mostly cream mesally; tarsi brown, banded creamy white distally on each tarsomere. Forewing mostly a mix of grey and light brown on basal threequarters dorsally, with a creamy white area immediately before terminal patch; a small creamy white patch at base of wing; numerous transverse, short, fuscous striae throughout entire wing, but mostly concentrated along costal and inner margin; terminal patch light brownish tan, close to a pale yellow, with fuscous border; an upcurved fuscous band on basal portion of terminal patch, traversing CuP and joining fuscous border; towards apex, a concave, fuscous band medially in terminal patch, with basal portion of band joining fuscous margin; fringe composed of brownish grey, rusty-brown and dark brown scales; forewing mostly brown ventrally, with terminal patch similar as in dorsal view, but fainter; inner margin cream, with several brown, transverse striae; numerous dark brown, transverse striae along costal margin. Hindwing mostly brown dorsally and ventrally, with scales somewhat greyish brown; a cream patch with brown, transverse striae along terminal half of costal margin; fringe slightly banded brown and cream.

Abdomen: Mostly brown dorsally; lighter brown to cream ventrally; A8 creamy white.

Male genitalia ( Figs 85, 86 ): Valva oblong and rounded terminally; length of valva approximately 0.7¥ length of genital capsule; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.05¥ length of genital capsule; saccular process forming a somewhat lenticular spine, with small protuberances immediately following this spine on lower terminal margin of valva; juxta process elongate and digitiform; gnathos with bridge forming an elongate, subacute projection; bridge gradually narrowing to acute apex as viewed laterally; uncus somewhat broad as viewed posterioventrally, and very shallowly bifurcate. Aedoeagus with rostellum elongate, inwardly curved and digitiform as viewed laterally, with apex rounded; vesica on one side covered with small spines, with opposite side bearing a rather large lobe.

Female ( Fig. 47 ): Forewing length: 21.5 mm.

Head: [Missing, not observed].

Thorax: Patagia fuscous, with scales creamy white to grey basally and fuscous apically; tegula and dorsum creamy white, irrorated with fuscous; pleura creamy light brown; venter cream, with scales cream basally and fuscous apically. Legs with femur and tibia bearing scales creamy white basally and fuscous apically; tarsi brown with some fuscous scales, and banded cream distally on each tarsomere. Forewing mostly a mix of light grey, cream and pale brown on basal three-quarters dorsally, with a creamy white area just before terminal patch; a small creamy white patch at base of wing; numerous transverse, short, fuscous striae throughout entire wing, but mostly concentrated along costal and inner margin; a few patches of grey along CuP and 1A+2A medially, and costal margin grey; terminal patch similar to male, only slightly lighter in colour; fringe mostly rustybrown, with some greyish brown; forewing cream ventrally, with scales creamy white basally and brown to fuscous apically; costal and inner margin with similar colour and pattern as male, with bands sligthly lighter in colour; terminal patch similar to dorsal view, but more faint. Hindwing mostly greyish brown dorsally and ventrally, with cream interspersed throughout entire wing; greyish brown transverse striae along costal margin; fringe mostly light brown, mixed with creamy white.

Abdomen: [Missing, not observed].

Female genitalia: Unknown.

Distribution: Known only from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Holotype: ♂; COSTA RICA: PUNTARENAS: Monteverde, 1500 m: 1–4.ix.1999, V. Becker , slide USNM 96004 ( USNM).

Paratype: COSTA RICA: PUNTARENAS: Monteverde , 1500 m: 1 ♀, 1–4.ix.1999, V . Becker ( VOB) .

Host: Unknown.

Flight period: September.

Etymology: Derived from the Latin ‘longius’ meaning ‘longer’ and ‘rostrum’ meaning ‘beak’. Cossula longirostrum refers to the elongate rostellum on the aedoeagus of the male genitalia.

Discussion: Because of their virtually identical appearance, it is not possible to distinguish this species superficially from either C. minutiloba , which also occurs in Costa Rica, nor C. magnifica , which does not. The male genitalia are diagnostic with the rostellum of the aedoeagus of longirostrum being more digitiform and elongate (extending nearly to the end of the vesica) than in the other species. The aedoeagus in longirostrum is also more slender and elongate than in either magnifica or minutiloba , and the apex of the uncus is broader (in posterio-ventral view) than in either of the other two species. The lobe emanating from the vesica of longirostrum is similar to that of magnifica in size and possesses a dense covering of minute, piliform spines.

Figures

Figures 44–52. Adults: 44, male, Cossula gaudeator; 45, female, Cossula gaudeator; 46, male, Cossula longirostrum; 47, female, Cossula longirostrum; 48, male, Cossula minutiloba; 49, female, Cossula minutiloba; 50, unidentified female 1; 51, unidentified female 2; 52, unidentified female 3. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.

Figures 77–88. Male genitalia. Cossula cossuloides: 77, genital capsule; 78, aedoeagus. Cossula duplex: 79, genital capsule; 80, aedoeagus. Cossula duplexata: 81, genital capsule; 82, aedoeagus. Cossula gaudeator: 83, genital capsule; 84, aedoeagus. Cossula longirostrum: 85, genital capsule; 86, aedoeagus. Cossula minutiloba: 87, genital capsule; 88, aedoeagus.

Figures 101–106. Male genitalia, lateral view of genital capsule: 101, Cossula cossuloides; 102, Cossula duplex; 103, Cossula duplexata; 104, Cossula gaudeator; 105, Cossula longirostrum; 106, Cossula minutiloba. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.