Elhamma diakonoffi (Viette, 1952)

Simonsen, Thomas J., 2015, Elhamma Walker (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) revisited: adult morphology, assessment of recently proposed synonyms and descriptions of two species, Zootaxa 3955 (3), pp. 301-328 : 314

Elhamma diakonoffi (Viette, 1952)

( Figs 5 , 33–35 , 77 )

Theaxieus diakonoffi Viette 1952

Type data: Holotype Male, Naturalis. Type locality: Iebele Camp, New Guinea

Material examined. Holotype male, ( RMNH INS 910274, Viette genital slide no. 2458, FW: 19.4 mm), Iebele Camp, 2250m, New Guinea Exp., Neth. Ind.-Amer., xi–xii 1938, L. J. Toxopeus leg.

Distribution ( Fig. 77 ). Known only from the type locality. The locality is in the Baliem Valley in the central highlands at 138°46'E and 3°58'S (de Vos 2013).

Diagonosis: A medium sized, pale species that is most similar to E. roepkei . It can be recognized from the former by a smaller sized, paler ground colour and uniformly pale, yellow-beige hind wings with no pattern near the apex.

Redescription male. Medium sized (FW: 19.4 mm). Head with semi rough, golden-orange vestiture dorsally and pronounced, rough coffee-brown vestiture on frontoclypeus; with golden-orange antenna scale tufts, and a broad circle of coffee-brown scales around the base of the antenna; scape scaled, antennae otherwise naked; length more than half the width of the thorax, not serrate, each flagellomere keel-shaped; eyes as in genus; labial palpus large; maxillary palpus just discernible. FW with a golden beige ground colour and a mottled dark-brown scale pattern; FW with “inflated” area on forewing basis caudal to the Sc stem. HW uniformly pale beige-yellow. Wing venation: Generally similar to E. australasiae , but HW with M1-M3, M3-CuA1 and CuA1-CuA2 cross veins present. Wing vestiture single layer; wing scales droplet shaped with a slightly pointed apical margin; abwing surface with stout primary ridges, windows and cross-ribs; adwing surface with primary ridges, smaller and less numerous windows and cross-ribs. Pro- and mesothorax uniformly golden-orange; metathorax yellow-beige; legs normally developed, hind legs without tibial scale tuft; claws short and thick with pronounced basal corner; arolium short U-shape. Abdomen uniformly yellow-beige without large, anterior ventro-lateral paired dark spots.

Genitalia: Sternum 8 ( Fig. 35 ) slightly higher than broad with rounded lateral and anterior sides, posterior margin strongly sclerotised with a broad central projection and a strong (presumably inwards pointed) hook. Tergal lobe clearly bilobed and setose. Pseudoteguminal lobes and rounded, relatively narrow; pseudoteguminal arms strongly sclerotised, both dorsal and ventral arms present; dorsal arms long and broad at base, tip pointed inwards; ventral arms long and slender with a well-defined outer margin, arms synclerotised ventrally terminating in two small, sclerotised tips. Valva long, slightly upwards curved, relatively broad; sacculus short; a short, sclerotised, outwards curved tooth present disto-dorsally on sacculus. Juxta deeply cup-shape.

Vinculum and saccus broad U-shape with a dorsal 'flat-M' shape cross-ridge and a U-shaped sulcus separating vinculum proper and the apodemal vinculum (sensu Nielsen & Kristensen 1989).

Female: Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 77. Distribution of New Guinea Elhamma species based on specimen records. Filled circle, E. viettei; open circle, E. grehani; filled square, E. toxopeusi; open square, E. diakonoffi; crossed square, E. roebkei.

FIGURES 1 – 12. Exemplars of all Elhamma species: 1 – 4, E. australasiae; 1 — female, 2 – 4 — males (2 is E. inconcluso Holotype); 5, E. diakonoffi male (Holotype); 6, E. roebkei male (Holotype); 7 – 8, E. grehani males (7 is Holotype, 8 is paratype RMNH INS 910279); 9 – 10, E. viettei males (9 is Holotype, 10 is paratype RMNH INS 910276); 11 – 12, E. toxopeusi males (11 is Holotype, 12 is the non-type RMNH INS 910272).

FIGURES 33 – 35. E. diakonoffi, male wings and genitalia morphology. 33: Wings; 34: Genitalia, ' classic' slide preparation; 35: Sternum 8, posterior view.