Elhamma toxopeusi (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 : 320-321

Elhamma toxopeusi (Viette, 1952)

( Figs 11–12 , 47–51 , 77 )

Zauxieus toxopeusi Viette 1952

Type data: Holotype Male, Naturalis

Type locality: Scree Valley Camp, New Guinea

Material examined. Holotype (Viette genital slide no. 2492, FW: 23.3 mm), Scree Valley Camp, 3800m, New Guinea Exp., Neth. Ind.-Amer., ix 1938, L. J. Toxopeus leg.; Paratype (Viette genitalia slide no. 2436, FW: 25.2 mm); one additional male, same label data ( RMNH INS 910272—dissected FW: 24.4mm).

Distribution ( Fig. 77 ). Known only from the type locality. The locality is in the Baliem Valley in the central highlands at 138°40'E and 4°20'S (de Vos 2013).

Diagnosis. A medium sized, robust and very dark species that can easily be recognized from other Elhamma by the dark, coffee-brown ground colour of the forewing and the uniformly dark, coffee-brown hind wing.

Redescription male. Medium sized (FW: 23.3–25.2 mm). Head with golden-brown, short, semi-rough vestiture dorsally, and protruding, rough golden-brown vestiture frontally; antennae with scape scaled, otherwise naked, length more than half the width of the thorax, not serrate, each flagellomere keel-shaped; labial palpus short and pointed; with dark beige-brown antennal scale tufts, and a broad circle of coffee-brown scales around the base of the antenna; eyes as described for genus; palps short with dark golden vestiture. FW with a mottled pattern of dark-beige scales. Eing venetation generally as in genus, but FW with CuA2 curved towards CuA1 at base, and HW with M3-CuA1 and CuA1-CuA2 cross veins present. Wing vestiture type-2 bilayer, both cover and ground scales broad spindle shaped to droplet shaped, but cover scales much broader and twice the length of ground scales; both types with primary and secondary ridges, small windows and cross-ribs on abwing surface; abwing surface with primary ridges, small pores and cross ribs; abwing ridges on cover scales apparently of composite nature.

Thorax overall dark brown (types) to dark golden-orange; legs normal; hind leg without tibial tuft; tarsal claws long and slender, without prominent basal corner; arolium strongly reduced. Abdomen unmodified, dark coffeebrown dorsally, golden brown ventrally. S3-6 with large, anterior ventro-lateral paired dark spots, most prominent on S3 (fenestrae?); S3-6 with small point centrally on posterior ridge.

Genitalia: Sternum 8 ( Figs. 50–51 ) U-shaped with a straight, strongly sclerotised posterior margin, sclerotisation strongest and broadest at corners; posterior margin centrally with a broad, flap-like internal projection. Tergal lobe setose, with two latero-dorsal corners, but not distinctly bilobed. Pseudoteguminal lobes high and relatively narrow, in lateral view with a broad, rectangular, central projection; dorsal arms absent; ventral arms relatively short and stout, with a well-defined outer margin, arms synclerotised ventrally terminating in two prominent, sclerotised tips. Intermediate plate small and very narrow, separated from the pseudoteguminal lobe by a membranous band. Valva long, slightly upwards curved, relatively broad; sacculus short with small, sclerotised bump, but no well-developed tooth. Trulleum marginally bilobed at base, attached basally to the base of juxta by a membranous connection; marginally bilobed posteriorly, attached high on the ventral pseudoteguminal arms by a narrow membranous connection. Juxta deeply cup-shaped with a basal ridge. Phallus less than 2x the height of genitalia. Vinculum and saccus broad U-shaped with a flat dorsal cross-ridge and a U-shaped to V- shaped sulcus separating vinculum proper and the apodemal vinculum (sensu Nielsen & Kristensen 1989). Female: 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 47 – 51. E. toxopeusi, male wings and genitalia morphology. 47: Wings; 48: Genitalia, ' classic' slide preparation; 49: Genitalia, ethanol preparation, posterior view; 50: Genitalia, ethanol preparation, lateral view with valva removed—note ' in vivo ' position of S 8; 51: Sternum 8, posterior view.