Nelphe trimaculata Pinheiro, 2016

Pinheiro, Lívia R., 2016, Description of two new species of Nelphe Herrich-Schäffer, with comments on the genus (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini, Ctenuchina), Zootaxa 4079 (4), pp. 487-494 : 488-491

Nelphe trimaculata Pinheiro , sp. n.

( Figs. 1 ; 3–8)

Holotype. HAITI, ex-Oberthür coll. Brit. Mus. 1927-3 ( BMNH), male.

Diagnosis ♂. Three long dark brown markings each in forewing cell CuP-1A and on inner margin. Hindwings predominantly whitish, anterior half of discal cell, apex and external and internal margins light brown. Abdominal T3–7 with orange scales laterally, and brown scales dorsally. Abdominal sternites predominantly brown. Tip of the aedeagus turned downwards. Dorsal abdominal intersegmental membrane 9–10 with paired projections shorter than the uncus in lateral view. Valvae with a longitudinal membranous slit making their tip bifurcated.

Description ♂. Head. Proboscis light brown. Labial palpi reaching vertex in lateral view. First palpi segment brown dorsally and laterally, and yellowish ventrally. Second and third palpi segments predominantly brown, ventral surface with some beige scales. Third palpi segment slightly longer than wide. Frontoclypeus slightly longer than wide, predominantly smooth-scaled, scales brown; lateral and dorsal margins yellowish; dorsal extremity rough-scaled. Vertex and occiput brown medially and yellowish laterally. Ocular ring brown. Scape brown laterally and yellowish anteriorly and posteriorly. Pedicel predominantly yellowish, brown posteriorly. Flagellomeres predominantly dark brown; proximal third of the antennal segments yellowish on the inner surface. Cervical scales orange. Thorax. Mesothorax predominantly yellowish in dorsal view, with a brown middorsal stripe. Metascutellum yellowish with a small dorsal patch of orange scales. Patagia brown, with a broad yellowish stripe near the external margin, and a thin yellowish stripe at the inner margin. Anterior portion of tegulae yellowish, posterior portion brown with two thin yellowish stripes near external margin and on the internal margin. Epimera and episterna with long brown scales. Forecoxae predominantly brown, with whitish scales at the proximal portion

of the inner side. Forefemora brown dorsally and whitish ventrally. Foretibiae predominantly brown, proximal half of the dorsal surface whitish. Foretarsi brown, except for the proximal margin of the first segment, whitish. Midcoxae whitish anteriorly. Other midleg segments as in forelegs. Hindlegs as midlegs, except for the tarsi, with a whitish dorsal stripe covering all tarsal segments. Forewings. Entirely scaled. Dorsal surface with veins predominantly covered with brown scales. Pattern of the dorsal surface of the forewings consisting of various dark brown spots (darker than the brown scales covering the veins) surrounded by yellowish scales, separated from each other by whitish scales. Costal margin with five long dark brown spots, the most apical spot very small. Discal cell with three spots. Cell R4–R5 with two spots, the proximal much smaller than the apical. Cells R5–M1 to M3–CuA1 with three dark brown spots each. Cell CuA1–CuA2 with the two proximal spots approximate or connected. Cell CuA2–CuP with five distinguishable spots, the apical one being continuous with that of cell CuP–1A, which has three spots. Inner margin with two long spots. Fringe of forewings alternating brown and whitish scales. Ventral surface with only two hues of scales, dark brown and whitish. Venation as in figure 3: R1 arising before apex of discal cell. R2 arising between the transversal vein and R3, but closer to the former. M2 and M3 shortly stalked from the lower angle of the cell. Hindwings. Entirely scaled, predominantly whitish. Veins covered with brown scales. Apex, external and internal margin light brown. Venation as in figure 3: M2 free, complete, arising just above the lower angle of the discal cell, M3 and CuA1 stalked from the lower angle of the cell. Abdomen. T1 and postspiracular hoods entirely brown. T2 brown, except for white laterals of posterior margin. T3–7 brown dorsally and orange laterally. T8 brown. Hair-like scales present on T1–4. S2–7 brown with white scales laterally. S8 brown. T8 and S8 sclerotized. Ventral intersegmental membrane 7–8 with coremata. Male genitalia. Aedeagus approximately the same width throughout. Distal portion turned downwards. Ejaculatory duct positioned dorsally, and longer than the aedeagus. Coecum round. Vesica membranous, slightly sclerotized dorsally. Saccus developed, slightly asymmetrical. Tegumen glabrous, slightly asymmetrical, the left side somewhat longer than the right side. Anterior margin with a “U”-shaped indentation, posterior margin almost straight, perpendicular to the anteriorposterior body axis. Paired dorsal projections arising from the dorsal intersegmental membrane 9–10, bilobed, the ventral lobe densely covered by setae, the dorsal lobe with few lateral setae. Dorsal lobe shorter than the ventral lobe. Uncus symmetrical, compressed laterally, with few dorsal setae near its tip, and slightly longer than the ventral lobe of the dorsal projections. Apex round. Transtilla sclerotized, glabrous. Juxta sclerotized, longer than wide. Anellus predominantly membranous, with two sclerotized areas, one ventral, the other on the right side. Valvae slightly asymmetrical, the left positioned more anteriorly than the right, and slightly less developed. Neither reaching the uncus, and both with a dorsal longitudinal membranous slit leading to two separate tips, the ventral with heavily sclerotized spines, the dorsal without spines. Tips and internal surface of the valvae with setae.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an allusion to the most evident character that separates this species from the others placed in Nelphe (see below).

Remarks. Nelphe trimaculata sp. n. differs from other species of the genus mainly by the three linear dark brown markings on cell CuP–1A and on the inner margin of the forewings. In most of the other species of Nelphe these are more round than long, and even when long, as in the case of N. moeschleri, they occur in a number other than three spots. It also differs from most species of this genus by the predominantly brown, instead of white, abdominal sternites.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Habitus of the new species. 1) Holotype of Nelphe trimaculata sp. n., dorsal and ventral views; 2) Holotype of N. dominica sp. n., dorsal and ventral views;