Syllepte confusalis Becker 2023, sp. n.
Creators: name: Becker, Vitor Osmar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Crambidae
Syllepte
Syllepte confusalis

description: Syllepte confusalis Becker, sp. n.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6999ECDE-880B-4343-A36B-E614C12224BD
Figs. 1j, 3 k-l, 5n
Material examined: Holotype ♂, BRAZIL: São Paulo (SP), São José do Barreiro, 1640 m, S 22,72°, W 44,61°, x.2021 (VOB 165009); Paratypes: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, same data as holotype, g. s. 5737 (VOB); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Paraná (PR): Curitiba, 920 m, 14.x.1974, 5.vi.1975, g. s. 5738 (Becker 8201, 8448); 1 ♂, Guaratuba, 1600 m, 5.viii.1975, g. s. 5725 (Becker 8233); 1 ♀, Quatro Barras, 800 m, 2.v.1970, ex Bakeridesia rufinervia (VOB 8446); Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 1 ♂, Nova Friburgo, 1100 m, 9.xi.1998 (Becker 117807); 2 ♂♂, Itatiaia, 2000 m, S 22, 37°, W 44, 75°, 24-27.ix.2021, g. s. 5727, 5730 (Becker 164270), 1♂, Teresópolis, Casa do Pesquisador, 22°27’17”S 42°59’50”W, 1134m, 13-16.VI.2021, C.C.D. Corrêa leg., MN-LEP 0002626, DNA-LAPEL 436 (MNRJ), 1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Casa do Pesquisador, Casa do Pesquisador, 22°27’16”S 44°36’29”W, 807m, 07-08.IV.2021, T.Zacca leg., MN-LEP 0002247, DNA-LAPEL 245 (MNRJ),
1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, 910m, 23-27.X.2019, A. Soares, G. Marconato, M. A. Costa & N. Tangerini leg., MN-LEP 0001448 (MNRJ), 1♂, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, 910m, 07-10.II.2019, A. Soares, G. Marconato, M.A.Costa & N. Tangerini leg., MN-LEP 0001445 (MNRJ); SP, 1 ♂, Campos do Jordão, 1600 m S 22º46’, W 45º31, 27.ii.2001 (Becker 131349); 1 ♂, Campos do Jordão, Parque Estadual Campos do Jordão, Alojamento, 1514m, 22°41’25”S 45°29’13”W, 05-06.X.2021, C. C. D. Corrêa leg., MN-LEP 0003497 (MNRJ); 1 ♂, São Luis do Paraitinga, 900 m, S 23º20’, W 45º06’, 13-20.iii.2001, g. s. 5726 (Becker 132329); 1 ♂, Salesópolis, Estação Biológica de Boracéia, 900 m, S 23°38’, W45°52’, 1-4.iv.2022 (Becker 166180); 2 ♂♂, Minas Gerais (MG), Aiuruoca, 1600 m, S 22,03°, W 44,68°, 24.i.2019, 4-9.x.2021 (Becker 157695, 165325) (VOB).
Diagnosis: Large (Fig. 1j). Male FW length 17-19 mm (37-42 mm wingspan), female 16-18 mm (35-40 mm wingspan). Yellowish. Wings ornate with an intricate net of curved and lunulate lines; FW apex acute, a large fuscous patch beyond the median line to termen, from R4 to tornus; HW with a fuscous area at apex, distad of postmedial band, narrowing along termen to M3; an elongate, irregular fuscous band at middle, delimiting a yellowish orbicular. Male genitalia with uncus short, expanded distally forming lateral, broad triangles.
Description: Sexes similar. FW 17-19 mm (37-42 mm wingspan) (Fig. 1j). Head and thorax pale yellow. Labial palpi pale yellow, fuscous distally. Patagia with a fuscous line across middle; tegula with row of fuscous scales at base. Legs pale yellow; fore and mid coxae and femora fuscous, tarsi ringed fuscous. FW pale yellow, basal and antemedial bands curved, fuscous; antemedial band followed with three orbicular spots; reniform spot extending to near costa; large, fuscous patch beyond postmedial band, from R4 to tornus. HW with orbicular and reniform spots well defined; postmedial line double, forming lunules on vein interspaces; broad fuscous patch on apex, narrowing along termen towards M3; terminal line fuscous; internal margin white; cilia fuscous from apex to M3, pale yellow to tornus. Abdomen pale yellow, banded fuscous on articulations.
Male genitalia (Figs. 3k): Uncus short, broad, with lateral triangular expansions; valva two times longer than wide, margins nearly parallel, costa straight, distal third of ventral margin round to acute apex; fibula a thin, sharp, bent hook. Juxta an elongate shield. Vinculum expanded basally, round. Phallus (Fig. 3l) straight, thin; vesica with an irregular, small plate.
Female genitalia (Fig. 5n): Ostium bursae long, narrow; ductus bursae, long, almost as long as abdomen, straight, broadened slightly basad; corpus bursae oblong, signum a small, round, spined plate.
Distribution: Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, at high elevations.
Etymology: From the Latin confusion -onis =mixture, disorder; in reference to the confusion caused by the earlier workers misidentifications of P. scripturalis.
Remarks: A large species, the same size and externally almost identical to S. limata. Easily separated by their distribution: S. limata from North America to Ecuador, at high elevations; S. confusalis restricted to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. Also by their male genitalia: inS. limata the uncus (Fig. 3i) is long, with the margins nearly parallel, and slightly concave at apex, whereas in S. confusalis (Fig.3k) the uncus is short, broadly expanded laterally into a triangular projection. This species has been misidentified as S.scripturalis by earlier workers, and under this name curated in all collections. S. scripturalis (Figs. 1 k-l) is a smaller [FW 12 mm; 27 mm wingspan], the same size and externally identical to S. suffusalis (Fig. 1m), if not the same species.As, unfortunately, no male ofS. scripturalis is available to allow comparing their genitalia, the two are retained as distinct. S. limata is treated as P.scripturalis, byAmsel (1956-1957: 129), a misidentification; the male genitalia (Pl. 81, fig. 8) martch those of other specimens from Mexico and Central America.
description: Published as part of Becker, Vitor Osmar, 2023, The identity of Syllepte incomptalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae) with synonymies, new combinations and new species, pp. 1-12 in Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20220093) (e 20220093) 67 (1) on pages 9-10, DOI: 10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2022-0093, http://zenodo.org/record/8111457