Biocellata alfarae 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 : 237-243

BIOCELLATA ALFARAE ( SCHAUS, 1911) COMB. NOV.

( FIGS 20, 21 , 53, 54 , 89 , 107, 108 , 135)

Hemipecten alfarae Schaus, 1911: 629 .

Cossula alfarae ( Schaus, 1911) Donahue, 1995: 126 . Male ( Fig. 20 ): Forewing length: 14.5– 19 mm.

Head: Antenna with shaft and rami cream; labial palpus brown with some cream dorsally and ventrally; frons and vertex cream, irrorated with brown.

Thorax: Patagia cream, irrorated with rusty-brown; dorsum mostly cream, with prothorax and mesothorax bearing scales light cream basally and light rusty-brown apically; tegula cream and rusty-brown; metathorax bearing scales light cream basally and light gold apically; pleura light creamy brown; venter similar to pleura, sometimes with slightly more brown. Legs cream with light brown; tarsi mostly light brown irrorated with cream. Forewing cream dorsally, with light grey, rusty-brown transverse striae mostly from Sc to inner margin; some striae are only mediad; mostly cream with few striae immediately below costal margin; costal margin along medial third with short, light grey-brown, transverse striae; approximately 3–7 rusty-brown spots, sometimes slightly striated, along CuP; two rusty-brown spots subterminally, the first near apex and between R 3 and M 1, the second slightly oblong and nearer termen, between M 2 and barely traversing CuA 2; light grey along outer margin; fringe grey-brown with few cream scales; forewing mostly light brown ventrally. Hindwing mostly light brown dorsally and ventrally; fringe light brown with few cream scales.

Abdomen: Brown to light brown dorsally; similar ventrally, with slightly more cream; A8 cream to light brown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 53, 54 , 89 ) – Valva broad basally, narrowing slightly and subquadrate apically; length of valva approximately 0.8¥ length of genital capsule, as viewed laterally; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.4¥ length of genital capsule; saccular process absent; juxta process small, mostly fused to valva; saccus subquadrate; gnathos very broad, subquadrate and slightly curved as viewed posterio-ventrally, with one short, swollen, rounded spiniform projection at each basal corner; uncus broad and rather deeply bifurcate as viewed posterio-ventrally; apex acute as viewed laterally. Aedoeagus with rostellum inwardly curved and acute as viewed laterally; vesica with row of large spiniform cornuti present longitudinally and approximately along midline; an elongate patch of flattened, scale-like spines adjacent to ductus ejaculatorius opening and extending adjacent to sclerotized margin of aedoeagus; small spines covering opposite side of vesica; rostellum with rather abruptly acute and rounded apex as viewed ventrally.

Female ( Fig. 21 ): Forewing length: 17–20 mm.

Head: Similar to male.

Thorax: Similar to male. Mesothorax and metathorax with gold scales. Fore- and hindwing a lighter brown ventrally than male, closer to a cream colour.

Abdomen: Similar to male, but lighter brown with grey dorsally; light brown ventrally with cream.

Female genitalia ( Figs 107, 108 ): Sternite 8 broad and large, forming a broadly curved posterior margin; intersegmental membrane between abdominal sternites 7 and 8 mostly smooth, but with a few cuticular wrinkles; ductus bursae extremely laterally compressed, wide, and short in length; corpus bursae fairly large and circular, approximately 0.7¥ length of bursa copulatrix.

Distribution: Guatemala south to Panamá.

Holotype: ♂; COSTA RICA: Tuis, August, W. Schaus, Type No. 17305, ( USNM) [examined].

Material examined: COSTA RICA: ALAJUELA: Caño Negro, R . N. V. S., 20 m: 1 ♀, 3–23.iv.1995, R . Villalobos, ( INBio). Finca San Gabriel (16 km ENE Queb. Grande) , 650 m: 2 ♂, 11.xi.1983, 2 ♂, 11.xi.1988, D. H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, slides USNM 85660 , 96133 , 96134 , 96136 , ( INBio, USNM) . CARTAGO: Moravia de Chirripo , 1000 m: 2 ♂, 10.v.1983, D. H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, ( INBio). Turrialba , 600 m: 1 ♂, 20.i.1972, 1♂, 25.xii.1971, V . Becker, slide VOB 2483 ( VOB) . GUANACASTE: A. C. G. La Cruz, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa , 280–300 m: 1 ♂, iii.1980, D. Janzen, ( INBio). A. C. G. La Cruz, Parque Nacional Guanacaste, Rio Mena , 600 m: 1 ♀, 6.vii.1986, D. Janzen, ( INBio). Estación Pitilla , 9 km S. de Santa Cecilia , 700 m: 1 ♀, ii.1995, 1 ♀, iv.1991, 1 ♂, 18.v.1988, 1 ♂, vii.1991, P. Rios, C. Moraga, Janzen & Hallwachs, slide USNM 85634 ( INBio, USNM). R . San Lorenzo, R . F. Cordillera Guanacaste, Tenorio , 1050 m: 1 ♂, v.1991, C. Alvarado, ( INBio) . HEREDIA: Estación Magsasay, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, 200 m: 1 ♂, iv.1991, 1 ♂, v.1991, A. Fernandez, R . Aguilar, ( INBio). Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, La Selva Biological Station , 40 m: 1 ♂, vii.1986, M. M. Chavarria, ( INBio); La Selva Biological Station , 1 ♂, 21.ii.2002, 1♂, 1.iii.2003, D. L. Wagner, ( DLW) . 10 km SE La Virgen , 450–550 m: 1 ♂, 21.ii.2003, transect 05/LM/00/05, ( INBio) . 11 km ESE La Virgen, Estación Cantarrana , INBio-OET-ALAS transect, trap 03/L/00/050, 250–350 m: 3 ♂, 2 ♀, 10.iv.2004, D. R . Davis , ( USNM); @ light sheet: 1 ♂, 7.iv.2004, 1 ♂, 12.iv.2004, D. R . Davis, ( USNM) . LIMON: Estación Cuatro Esquinas, Parque Nacional Tortuguero, 0 m: 1 ♂, vii.1990, E. Quesada, ( INBio). Sector Cerro Cocori , Finca de E. Rojas , 150 m: 1 ♀, 1 ♂, viii.1991, 10–30.ix.1992, E. Rojas, ( INBio) . PUNTARENAS: 2.8 miles E of Golfito, 1 ♂, 3–4.vii.1967, Flint & Ortiz, ( USNM). Estación Altamira, Buenos Aires : 1 ♂, 15.ix.–14.x.1993, R . Delgado, ( INBio). Estación Quebrada Bonita, Reserva Biológica Carara , 50 m: 1 ♀, 12.iii.1994, J. Corrales , 1 ♀, iv.1989, 2 ♂, xi.1989, R . Zuñiga, ( INBio). Estación Sirena, Parque Nacional Corcovado , 0–100 m: 1 ♂, iv.1990, 1 ♀, v.1991, 1 ♀, xi.1990, C. Saborio, G. Fonseca, slide USNM 85638 ( INBio, USNM). Osa , 50 m: 1 ♂, 20.x.2000, V . Becker, ( VOB). Golfito, Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas , Estación El Bonito , 100 m: 1 ♂, 17–21.viii.2001, M. Moraga, ( INBio). Golfito, Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas , Sitio El Mirador , 500 m: 1 ♂, 13–17.vii.1999, 1 ♂, 28–31.x.2000, 1 ♂, 25.xi.2000, M. Moraga, ( INBio). Parque Nacional Corcovado, Boca de Quebrada Hedionda , 2 m: 1 ♀, 30–31.iii.2003, M. Moraga & K. Caballero, ( INBio). Parque Nacional Corcovado, Sector La Leona, Cerro Puma , 100–300 m: 1 ♀, 27.vi–1.vii.2003, M. Moraga, ( INBio). Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas, Sector Riyito , 100 m: 1 ♂, 6–10.ix.2002, H. Mendez, ( INBio). Rancho Quemado, Peninsula de Osa , 200 m: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, xi.1991, 1 ♂, xii.1990, F. Quesada, slide USNM 85661 ( INBio, USNM). Reserva Forestal Golfo Dulce, Proyecto Zamia, Playa Cacao , 130 m: 1 ♂, 13–17.vii.1999, 1 ♂, 8–12.x.1999, M. Moraga, ( INBio). Sirena, Corcovado National Park, Osa Península : 1 ♀, 1.v.1984, D. H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, ( INBio) . SAN JOSÉ: Estación Bijagual, Reserva Biológica Carara , 500 m: 1 ♂, i.1990, R . Zuniga, ( INBio). Estación Santa Elena , 1210 m: 1 ♂, 4–9.vi.1997, E. Alfaro, ( INBio). GUA- TEMALA: Cayuga : 1 ♂, viii., Schaus & Barnes, ( USNM) . PANAMA: Lino , 800 m: 2 ♂, Fassl, slide USNM 85610 , ( USNM) .

Host: Unknown. Flight period: Adults have been collected in every month of the year.

Discussion: This species differs from all other members of Biocellata in possessing the longest posterior subterminal spot on the forewing ( Fig. 20, 21 ). The male genitalia of alfarae is also distinct within Biocellata by having a very broad, subquadrate gnathos bridge, a usually broader uncus, and an aedoeagus with a single row of large, sclerotized cornuti, longitudinally arranged along the approximate midline of the vesica ( Fig. 54 ).

Figures

Figures 20–31. Adults: 20, male, Biocellata alfarae; 21, female, Biocellata alfarae; 22, male, Biocellata bifida; 23, male, Biocellata davisorum; 24, male, Spinulata acutipennis; 25, female, Spinulata acutipennis; 26, male, Spinulata manes; 27, female, Spinulata manes; 28, male, Spinulata oblongata; 29, male, Spinulata quasivinnea; 30, female, Spinulata quasivinnea; 31, male, Simplicivalva ampliophilobia. Scale bar = 10.0 mm.

Figures 53–64. Male genitalia. Biocellata alfarae: 53, genital capsule; 54, aedoeagus. Biocellata bifida: 55, genital capsule; 56, aedoeagus. Biocellata davisorum: 57, genital capsule; 58, aedoeagus. Spinulata acutipennis: 59, genital capsule; 60, aedoeagus. Spinulata manes: 61, genital capsule; 62, aedoeagus. Spinulata oblongata: 63, genital capsule; 64, aedoeagus.

Figures 89–94. Male genitalia, lateral view of genital capsule: 89, Biocellata alfarae; 90, Biocellata bifida; 91, Biocellata davisorum; 92, Spinulata acutipennis; 93, Spinulata manes; 94, Spinulata oblongata. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figures 107–112. Female genitalia and enlargement of ostium and sternite 8: Biocellata alfarae: 107, genitalia; 108, enlargement. Spinulata acutipennis: 109, genitalia; 110, enlargement. Spinulata manes: 111, genitalia; 112, enlargement.