Crasilogia parasimplex, Schmidt, 2020

Schmidt, Olga, 2020, Australasian genus Crasilogia Warren (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae), Zootaxa 4729 (4), pp. 519-537 : 528-530

Crasilogia parasimplex , sp. nov.

( Figs 18 , 30 , 42, 43 )

Type material. Holotype male, British New Guinea [ Papua New Guinea], Angabunga River, affl. of St. Joseph Riv- er, 6000 ft. [1828.8 m] upwards, November [19]04– Februar [19]05. (A.S. Meek), NHMUK012823195 ( NHM).

Note. The specimen was originally part of the syntype series of C. simplex .

Other material examined. British New Guinea [ Papua New Guinea], two females, Angabunga River, affl. of St. Joseph River, 6000 ft. [1828.8 m] upwards, November [19]04– Februar [19]05. (A.S. Meek) ( NHM). Note. The two females with the forewings with broader subbasal band, compared to C. simplex , probably conspecific with the male of C. parasimplex . Additional study, including material deposited in other museums is necessary to infer species limits within the species-group.

Diagnosis ( Figs 18 , 30 ). Forewings above with pattern rather similar to C. dispar , C. flavipennis , and C. fulvitincta , very similar to C. simplex but larger, with the basal band slightly broader. Hind wings in males larger than in C. simplex , covered with darker brownish scales basally, with apex slightly angled, pale yellow, with an indistinct band of light brown scales at the termen, with a not quite distinct area of fine hairs medially and at the hind margin, without a blotch of androconial scales near tornus.

Description. Labial palpi yellowish with ochreous scales. Legs yellowish to brownish, with narrow rings of lighter scales. Abdomen brown to ochreous, above speckled with whitish scales. Wing expanse 34 mm. Forewings above dark brown, with scattered ochreous scales, with basal band brown to dark brown, with ochreous scales at the hind margin, with subbasal band similar to C. dispar , C. flavipennis and C. simplex but with yellowish-ochreous and orange scales, edged with whitish line, with a sharp, triangular, inwardly directed subbasal notch, with median band distinct, dark brown, with some ochreous scales, slightly broader than in C. simplex , edged with thin whitish and orange-ochreous wavy lines, with a shallow rounded medial projection outwards similar to C. simplex but slightly more prominent, and a rather small inwardly directed postmedial streak near the costal margin, with discal dot slightly larger than in C. simplex , rounded, with a thin wavy whitish subterminal line with small medial and subapical projecting teeth speckled with dark brown scales inwardly towards the orange-ochreous wavy lines; underneath patterned like the upper side but paler, with the hind margin broadly speckled with yellowish scales. Hind wings in males larger and slightly darker than in C. simplex , with termen rounded, above pale brownish with ochreous scales, with an indistinct broad band of light brown scales at the termen, with an area of fine hairs medially and at the hind margin, without a blotch of androconial scales near tornus; underneath mainly brownish, patterned similar to C. simplex , but with basal area darker, brownish, with a small discal dot, with alternate wavy brownish and pale ochreous median lines and with a band of brown scales speckled with ochreous at the termen.

Male genitalia ( Figs 42, 43 ). Uncus needle shaped, distally narrowly rounded, with rounded basal outgrowths; tegumen rather short, base of tegumen connected to the base of subscaphium through a trapezoidal intercalar sclerite; valva rather small, somewhat kidney-shaped, with a broad ring of weak sclerotisation at base of costa, broadening towards the costal margin, protruded outwards, with a basal extension; labides curved, rather short, not protruded distally; vinculum with a horn-shaped, not broadly-based, dorsal process and a medium sized anterior hook; saccus shallow, rounded; aedeagus relatively small, slightly longer than in C. simplex , with a medium sized patch of small cornuti.

Female genitalia (see C. simplex ).

Distribution. Papua New Guinea.

Etymology. The species name combines the prefix para- (near or against) and simplex (the name of a known species), and refers to the close relationship with C. simplex .

Figures

FIGURES 12–18. Crasilogia spp., wings above: 12. C. fumipennis, male, Papua New Guinea, E. Highlands, Daulo Pass; 13. C. fumipennis, female, holotype, Papua New Guinea, Angabunga R.; 14. C. gressitti, male, Australia, New South Wales, Upper Allyn R.; 15. C. gressitti, female, paratype, Australia, Queensland, Kuranda; 16. C. simplex, male, lectotype, Papua New Guinea, Angabunga R.; 17. C. simplex, female, Papua New Guinea, Angabunga R. (see Note to the paragraph ‘Other material examined’); 18. C. parasimplex, male, holotype, Papua New Guinea, Angabunga R.

FIGURES 28–31. Crasilogia spp., wings underneath: 28. C. simplex, male, lectotype; 29. C. simplex, female (see Note to the paragraph ‘Other material examined’); 30. C. parasimplex, male, holotype; 31. C. diversisimplex, male, holotype.

FIGURES 40–45. Crasilogia spp., male genitalia, diagnostic characters indicated: (40, 42, 44) armature, (41, 43, 45) aedeagus: 40–41. C. simplex; 42–43. C. parasimplex; 44–45. C. diversisimplex.