The discovery of Megalota in the Neotropics, with a revision of the New World species (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutini)
Author
Brown, John W.
text
Zootaxa
2009
2009-11-02
2279
1
1
50
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2279.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.2279.1.1
1175-5326
5307538
12.
Megalota jamaicana
Brown
,
new species
Figs. 12
,
36
Diagnosis
. A single male from
Jamaica
has genitalia (
Fig. 36
) that are mostly indistinguishable from those of
M. delphinosema
, but its phallus lacks the 120° bend at the middle and the associated long dorsal thorn characteristic of the latter species (
Fig. 35
). In addition, the forewing pattern is relatively distinct (
Fig. 12
): there is a pale creamy pink area of ground color between the basal and median subbasal fasciae that extends uninterrupted from the costa to the dorsum; the distal 0.6 of the wing is nearly uniformlyly brown; and the hindwing is pale gray, brown along the perimeter, unlike any other species in the genus.
Description
.
Head
: Vertex copper and red brown, frons creamy white; labial palpus creamy white in basal portion, copper brown in distal portion.
Thorax
: Dorsum red-brown, metascutum with large copper tuft. Hind tibia in male with expanded silky white scaling concealing hairpencil. Forewing length 7.0 mm; basal patch red-brown in costal 0.5, confluent with dark brown triangular blotch at dorsum; a pale creamy pink submedian fascia extending from costa to dorsum; distal 0.6 of wing mostly brown, obscuring typical forewing markings represented by a trace; diffuse orange-red subapical patch. Fringe brown. Hindwing uniformly pale gray, brown along perimeter; anal margin in male with well-developed roll of sex scales. Fringe pale brown.
Abdomen
: Brown. Male genitalia (
Fig. 36
;
1
preparation examined) with tegumen elongate-subrectanglar, lateral sides nearly straight, with small lobelike expansion just before attachment of uncus; uncus broad, each lobe kidney bean-shaped, densely spined; socius membranous, pendant, subrectangular; valva somewhat parallelsided, narrowed just beyond middle, slightly attenuate in distal 0.15; cluster of spiniform setae near venter ca. 0.5 distance from base to apex; subbasal patch of elongate setae ill-defined, represented by fine scattered setae between spiniform cluster and lower edge of basal concavity; basal process of valva relatively long, 4–5 times as long as wide, curved-elbowed near middle, a patch of 5 long setae on inner surface near middle, distal 0.2 with dense patch of short spines. Phallus ca. 0.5 as long as valva, gently curved throughout, with a few tiny serrations in distal 0.25; vesica with two cornuti: one broad from an irregular, sclerotized, C-shaped base, the other one slender, needlelike, from small rounded base. Female genitalia unknown.
Holotype
.
Male
,
Jamaica
,
Portland Parish
,
4 mi
S Hartford
, 850',
26–27 Apr 1973
,
D. & M. Davis
(
USNM
), USNM slide 124,108.
Etymology.
The specific epithet refers to the country from which this species is described.
Remarks
. In contrast to
M. submicans
, which appears to be fairly widespread in the Caribbean,
M. jamaicana
is known only from
Jamaica
.