Adaina azapensis Vargas, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Vargas, Héctor A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Pterophoridae
Adaina
Adaina azapensis

description: Adaina azapensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 45C2857E-5FA6-4575-96F2-FCF6B806C23C
Figs 1–4
Type locality. Chile, Arica Province, Azapa Valley (18°35’05’’ S, 69°52’45’’ W), at about 1000 m elevation in the Atacama Desert.
Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂: CHILE, Arica │ Azapa │ February 2022 │ H.A. Vargas leg. ││ ex-larva │ Pluchea │ chingoyo ││ HOLOTYPE │ Adaina │ azapensis │ Vargas [red handwritten label] ││ IDEA-LEPI-2025-01 ││ HAV-1509 [genitalia slide] ││ BOLD ID │ NCMIC017-25. Specimen and genitalia slide deposited at IDEA.
PARATYPES: three ♂, four ♀, same data as for the holotype; IDEA-LEPI-2025-02 to IDEA-LEPI-2025-08; HAV-1572, 1682, 1683, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848 [genitalia slides]. Specimens and genitalia slides deposited at IDEA.
Diagnosis. Although genitalia morphology and larval feeding behavior of A. azapensis sp. nov. resemble those of A. jobimi, the only congeneric species previously recorded in the northernmost part of Chile, the two species can be accurately distinguished. The forewing of A. azapensis sp. nov. is mostly creamy white with scattered greyish brown and yellowish brown scales and a well-defined C-shaped spot at the base of the cleft (Fig. 2), while that of A. jobimi is mostly yellowish brown with a small, not well-defined spot at the base of the cleft (Vargas 2020; fig. 1). In male genitalia, the broadly sinuous saccular spine on the left valva, the absence of a saccular process on the right valva, and the poorly differentiated, irregular cornutus on the vesica of A. azapensis sp. nov. (Fig. 3) contrast with the almost straight medial third of the saccular spine on the left valva, the small saccular process on the right valva, and the V-shaped cornutus on the vesica of A. jobimi (Vargas 2020; figs 2–5). In female genitalia, the strongly inwardly curved, hook-like anterior apophyses and the convex anterior margin of the tergum VIII of A. azapensis sp. nov. (Fig. 4) contrast with the triangular anterior apophysis with slightly inwardly curved apex and the straight anterior margin of the tergum VIII of A. jobimi (Vargas 2020; fig. 6).
Description. Male (Forewing length 4.8–5.0 mm) (Fig. 2). Head. Vertex and frons whitish brown. Occiput with narrow, raised, whitish brown scales. Labial palpus porrect, short, mostly creamy white; second segment with scattered greyish brown scales; third segment greyish brown. Antenna filiform, creamy white dorsally, with short cilia ventrally. Thorax. Creamy white. Foreleg mostly creamy white; coxa, femur and tibia greyish brown anteriorly; femur with a narrow, creamy white, longitudinal stripe anteriorly; tibial epiphysis greyish brown. Midleg similar to foreleg in color; pair of tibial spurs mostly greyish brown with scattered creamy white scales. Hindleg creamy white; two pairs of tibial spurs creamy white. Forewing mostly creamy white with scattered greyish brown and yellowish brown scales; a narrow, C-shaped, greyish brown spot at base of cleft; fringe mostly creamy white, greyish brown at tip of first lobe. Hindwing greyish brown; fringe yellowish brown. Abdomen mostly creamy white with greyish brown, dorsal and lateral longitudinal stripes.
Male genitalia (Fig. 2). Tegumen triangular, with well-differentiated longitudinal median sulcus. Uncus hook-like, slightly curved ventrally, slightly shorter than tegumen. Vinculum narrow. Saccus as a narrow transverse stripe with slightly convex anterior margin. Juxta an elongated, asymmetrical sclerite, slightly curved to right and narrowing dorsally. Anellus arms asymmetrical; left arm finger-like, mostly straight, slightly curved near tip; right arm about 1.5× length of left arm, distal half triangular. Valvae asymmetrical; each with a tuft of filiform scales basally on external side; tuft slightly shorter than valva. Left valva wider than right valva, maximum width about one-third of length; costal and ventral margins mostly straight; apex rounded; saccular process with capsular basal section and slender, broadly sinuous saccular spine slightly shorter than half of valva. Right valva similar in length to left valva, maximum width about one-fourth length; ventral margin slightly angled at two thirds with valva tapering toward apex; apex rounded; saccular process absent. Phallus cylindrical, nearly straight, about half as long as valva, tip slightly swollen dorsally; vesica with a poorly differentiated, irregular cornutus.
Female. Similar to male in size and coloration.
Female genitalia (Fig. 2). Papillae anales lobular, slightly sclerotized, with few setae. Posterior apophyses rod-shaped, straight, about 2.5× length of papillae anales. Anterior apophyses from anterior vertex of tergum VIII, appearing as strongly inwardly curved hooks; anterior margin of tergum VIII between anterior apophyses convex. Ostium bursae displaced to left. Antrum parallel-sided, slightly sclerotized, about half as long as papillae anales. Ductus bursae membranous, about as long as papillae anales. Corpus bursae membranous, elongated, about 1.2× as long as posterior apophyses, slightly dilated on anterior half. Ductus seminalis from base of corpus bursae, about three times as long as corpus bursae, broadly sinuous, anterior third coiled.
Etymology. The name of the species is derived from the type locality.
Distribution. Adaina azapensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality (Fig. 3).
Host plant. Larvae of A. azapensis sp. nov. feed concealed within the inflorescences of P. chingoyo (Fig. 4). The distribution range of this shrub extends from northwestern Peru to northern Chile (Moreira-Muñoz et al. 2016, Vilcapoma & Beltrán 2018).
description: Published as part of Vargas, Héctor A., 2025, A new species of the plume moth genus Adaina Tutt (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) from the Atacama Desert, Chile, pp. 571-579 in Zootaxa 5627 (3) on pages 573-577, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5627.3.10, http://zenodo.org/record/15326145