Dugdaleiella monticola Grehan & Mielke 2018, comb. n.
Creators: name: Grehan, John R.
name: Mielke, Os. G. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Dugdaleiella
Dugdaleiella monticola

description: Dugdaleiella monticola (Maassen, 1890) comb. n.
(Figs 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 9g, 9h, 10i, 14f, 15d, 16h, 16i, 16j, 25a, 25b)
Dalaca monticola Kirby (1892)
Triodia monticola Maasen (1890); Pfitzner (1906, 1938); Zukoswski (1954)
Pfitzneriella monticola Nielsen & Robinson (1983); Heppner (1984).
Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Hepialidae by presence of a pale grayish white longitudinal FW band between A and CuA2, of varying width and subtending a band of darker grayish brown along posterior edge of CuA2 (less distinct in melanic specimen) (Figs 8c, 8d). FW markings comprise indistinct to prominent grayish white irregularly shaped transverse bands that contrast with the speckled patterns found in Kozloviella gen. n. and Pfitzneriella.
Redescription. Male (Figs 8a, 8b, 8c): Wingspan 46 mm; FW length: 20 mm, width: 9 mm, ratio 2.2: 1; HW length: 16 mm, width: 7 mm, ratio 2.3.
Head. Greyish brown. Palpus with short basal palpomere, second palpomere longest, wider apically, terminal palpomere narrow, slightly shorter than the former (Figs 9g, 9h).
Thorax. Pale greyish to yellowish brown dorsally, greyish brown ventrally. Legs coloured as the thorax. Scutum III pale yellowish brown. FW dorsal ground colour pale to dark greyish brown with areas of pale greyish white markings, particularly along CuA2 and forming a broken transverse band of varying width and continuity; transverse band sometimes extending to costal margin near FW apex. HW dorsal greyish brown, fringe may be greyish or yellowish brown. FW and HW ventral greyish brown.
Abdomen. Pale yellowish to greyish brown.
Male genitalia. As for genus.
Female unknown.
Distribution. Central and northern volcanic region of Ecuador (Figs 27a, 27b).
Habitat. High elevation subalpine shrublands, including Paramos.
Material examined (in total 5 ♂). All ECUADOR: 2 ♂, Carchi. 18–23km W Tufino pass, Volcan Chiles, Paramo, 4,070 m, 18.XI.1987. R. Davidson & C. Young leg. (CMNH). 2 ♂, Cotopaxi, Cotopaxi National Park, entrance, 2,800 m, 10.III.1995. K. Wolfe leg.; JRG M193 (CMNH). 1 ♂, Cotopaxi, Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, 14.IV.1986, Wolfson leg., (on light trap); Dissection JRG M136 (CMNH).
Remarks. A putative syntype of Triodia monticola that was dissected by Viette (but not published) did not have a locality specified on the label, but the 4,200 m elevation and original Maassen’s handwritten labels provides evidence that it is one of Maassen’s (1890) syntypes for D. monticola at Sincholagua. This specimen can therefore be reliably treated as that species, and we thus chose it as the Lectotype. One male syntype with a label “ type ” of Triodia monticola Maassen, 1890 is here designated lectotype with the following labels (separated by forward slashes): / Triodia monticola Mn, Ecuador, 4200 m /Mssn G./ P. Viette Gen. ♂ No. 2235/Specimen photograph for checklist Aust. Lep., film 168 1/4/ Lectotypus, Triodia monticola Maassen, 1890, Grehan & C. Mielke 2018, det. (ZMHB). Fig. 8a.
We were unable to reliably differentiate both D. monticola and Pfitzneriella lucicola, both species described by Maassen (1890), as we have not located any representative material for P. lucicola (original description based on four specimens from Putzulagua [recte Cerro Putzulahua]). One of two specimens at ZMHB identified as P. lucicola that was examined by us bears a label with information (Type /1380/ Dalaca lucicola (Maassen) / Sincholagua 4200/indecipherable text) that did not correspond to the type locality or elevation (3,600 m) given by Maassen (1890). At present time, the primary types of P. lucicola are considered to be unresolved and this supersedes the type deposition mentioned by Mielke & Grehan (2012). As we have not examined a verifiable specimen of the type series for T. lucicola it would be premature to transfer the species to Dugdaleiella gen. n., particularly as external appearance is often not a reliable indicator of generic position in the Hepialidae. Due to uncertainty about its proper phylogenetic status we retain its taxonomic allocation to Pfitzneriella, but not as part of the phylogenetic characterization of the genus.
description: Published as part of Grehan, John R. & Mielke, Os. G. C., 2018, New species of Dugdaleiella, gen. nov., Kozloviella, gen. nov., and Pfitzneriella Viette from upper elevation Andes of Ecuador and Peru (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), pp. 1-28 in Zootaxa 4497 (1) on pages 19-20, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4497.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1451056