Pfitzneriella titarenkoi ♂, Grehan & C. Mielke 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Grehan, John R.
name: Mielke, Os. G. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Pfitzneriella
Pfitzneriella titarenkoi

description: Pfitzneriella titarenkoi sp. n.
(Figs 6a, 6b, 9d, 10f, 13d, 14c, 16e, 22)
Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Hepialidae by unipectinate lamellar antennae and from other Pfitzneriella species by the lack of transverse banding and presence of small scattered white spots on the FW. Greyish brown ground color also shared with P. antonkozlovi sp. n. and P. yuliyakovalevae sp. n. Outer margin of FW strongly convex towards apex compared with a less curved outer margin near apex in other Pfitzneriella species.
Description. Male (Figs 6a, 6b). Wingspan 38 mm; FW length: 18 mm, width: 9 mm, ratio 2: 1; HW length: 16 mm, width: 8 mm, ratio 2: 1.
Head. Frons and vertex covered with grayish-brown piliform scales. Interocular-antennal scales piliform, blackish-brown, overlapping about half eye width. Mouthparts covered with blackish-brown piliform scales. Antenna lamelliform, unipectinate, blackish-brown, annuli laterally compressed, each annulus with dorsal and ventral cluster of sensillae chaetica, lamellate dorsal flange, angled disto-ventrally oriented, increasingly towards antennal tip, terminal segments missing [antennae broken], 33 + flagellomeres; scape rounded, covered with piliform scales. Clypeus unscaled, projecting anteriorly as a transverse ridge. Labium subsquare. Labial palpus two segmented, proximal palpomere short, oval, distal palpomere long and narrow, about four times long as basal, slightly wider distally (Fig. 9d). Small round lobe antero-lateral to labium possible mandible remnants. Pair of larger lobes that are subequal to basal palpus posterior to labium possible remnants of maxillae.
Thorax. Dorsally covered with dark yellowish brown scales, scutum III pale greyish-brown, free of scales other than posterior and medial regions, obscured from direct view by overlapping mesothoracic scales. Ventral greyish brown. Legs (Fig. 13d) coloured as the thorax, tibial and tarsal scales not obscuring individual tarsal segments; metaleg pale orange-brown, basal metatibia slightly enlarged with androconia; metatibial gland present (Fig. 14c); length ratio (pro-, meso-, meta-) 1.5: 1.7: 1; epiphysis absent. FW costal margin slightly convex; outer margin convex to CuA2, anal margin weakly convex. Venation hepialine (Dumbleton 1966), base of FW anal vein strongly curved anteriorly, distally curved posteriorly (Fig. 10f). FW dorsal ground colour a mix of diffuse blackish-brown and yellowish-brown; concentrated diffuse band of yellowish-brown distal to cross veins over much of outer central region, scattered white spots edged with black, thin convex marginal bands between veins from CuA2 to apex composed of basal black line subtending white; fringe greyish-black; two dark patches between 1A and anal margin. FW ventral ground colour greyish brown; costal pocket present. HW dorsal greyish brown. HW ventral greyish brown marginal row of orange-brown scales along outer and anal margins, marginal fringe greyish-brown.
Abdomen. Anteriorly yellowish brown to about segment III then greyish brown. Tergosternal connection with elongate tergosternal bar with central, narrowly teardrop shaped weakly sclerotized lacuna, elongate lateral tergal brace and short and wide dorsal brace not connected to anterior ridge of tergum II, tergal knob absent. Tergites and sternites weakly sclerotized. Tergum II with anterior ridge across median, lateral ridge thin, 2/3 segment length, with a rounded curve at the outer edge of the lateral tuberculate plate, not extending to anterior margin; sternum II sub-square, anterior margin broad, curved V-shape to lateral margin, anterior lateral arms short, dorsal edge of tergosternal attachment with very short and weakly developed longitudinal ridge extending posteriorly. Tergum VII rectangular, wider than long, but slightly longer than preceding tergites. Tergum VIII rectangular, narrowing slightly to slightly concave posterior margin; sternum VIII rectangular, wider than long, anterior margin slightly concave medially, posterior-medial region setose, posterior margin slightly convex medially with a narrow, central unsclerotized region extending anteriorly, but medial notch absent (Fig. 16e).
Male genitalia (Fig. 22). Tegumen partially distinct from pseudotegumen. Saccus longitudinally short, apodemal suture with short posterior-ventral lateral shelf each side of the median, each with rounded distal margin, lateral internal margin ridged, ridge extending to medio-lateral corners of anterior margin, thin suture line extending medially between apodemal suture and anterior margin, anterior margin slightly convex medially. Pseudotegumen comprising pair of triangular plates, wide dorsally, narrowing ventrally to a strongly sclerotized and pointed apex, slightly angled laterally, convex margin adjacent to phallus, not fused medially, ventral apex widely separated medially. Valva broad, spatulate with rounded distal margin, inner and distal surfaces setose, anterior distal corner pointed. Fultura superior membranous, longitudinally short; fultura inferior four times wider than long at median, anterior margin medially concave and laterally convex to straight lateral margins angled medially to posterior corner, posterior margin concave with sclerotized rim (possibly fused region of fultura inferior). Phallus membranous without cornutus.
Female unknown.
Distribution. South-central eastern Peruvian Andes (Figs 27a, 28). Known only from type locality in upper river valley west of Satipo, collected by disturbed forest near river at 3,380 m (Fig. 26d).
Ethology. Attracted to UV-light at collecting sheet.
Host plant. Larval habits and host plants are unknown.
Etymology. Named after Andrey Yurievich Titarenko (Moscow, Russia), Russian philosopher, image processing researcher and enthusiastic insect collector, at the special request of Anton Kozlov.
Type material. Holotype male (with the following labels separated by forward slashes): / S. America, PERU, Junin reg. Satipo Prov, Pampa Hermosa distr. 11.4865S, 074.8871W, h= 3380 m, 21/I/2017, A. Kozlov, Yu. Kovaleva, R. Gortovannyi leg. / Holotypus, Pfitzneriella titarenkoi ♂, Grehan & C. Mielke det. 2017/ Dissection JRG 260/ (CMNH). Figs 6a, 6b.
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 15-17, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4497.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1451056