Hellinsia lucayana Matthews 2019, new species
Creators: name: Matthews, Deborah L.
name: Miller, Jacqueline Y.
name: Simon, Mark J.
name: Goss, Gary J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Pterophoridae
Hellinsia
Hellinsia lucayana

description: Hellinsia lucayana Matthews, new species
Fig. 20, 34a, b, 51
Diagnosis. This species is characterized by the presence of alternating white and light buff or drab longitudinal stripes tracing veins on forewing lobes combined with fuscous spots at vein terminals and at cleft base (Fig. 20). Male genitalia with short thorn-like saccular process on left valve; juxta with pair of distinctive sclerotized support rods converging at juncture with anellus arms (Fig. 34a). Female genitalia with elongate tapered antrum and simple elongate bursa copulatrix (Fig. 51).
Description (male, female). Based on the holotype (male) and 7 paratypes (6 males, 1 female). Head. Labial palpi erect, about 2× eye diameter, first (basal) segment white, second and third segments white with narrow fuscous lateral stripes. Front white distally, light buff adjacent to antennae, white between antennae. Vertex light buff, slightly paler than on front. Occipital fringe scales white, elongated scales simple. Antenna scape and pedicel white with narrow fuscous stripe dorsad and mesad. Flagellum longitudinally striped with double row of fuscous scales flanked by white scales in a double row anterad and single row posterad; venter without scales, minutely ciliate. Thorax. Dorsum white and light buff, mesoscutum light buff to white, tegulae white; metascutum white to pale buff. Legs white with fuscous longitudinal stripes, foreleg coxa with single stripe, femur with double stripe, tibia with single stripe and partial stripes near epiphysis tuft. Tarsomeres white with single stripe on basal segment. Midleg similarly patterned with single fuscous stripe on spurs and partial stripe on first tarsomere. Hindleg with tibia white except for partial fuscous lateral stripe proximad of outer tibial spur; distal spur pair each with partial stripe. Forewing. Length, males x= 6.1 mm ± 0.4 (n = 7), holotype 6.5 mm, female 7.0 mm (n=1). Cleft origin at 0.45× wing length from base. Ground color white (Ridgway “cartridge buff”) with light buff. Costa with drab line along vein Sc. Discal cell with scattered drab and pale drab scales and small diffuse drab scale patch at cleft base. First lobe white including costal margin, with single row of light buff scales tracing veins R 3 and R 4. Vein R 2 traced by drab scales appearing as short longitudinal dash in basal third of lobe. Vein R 3 terminus at costa marked by 2–3 drab to fuscous scales. Apex of lobe with small gray patch subtended by 2–3 fuscous scales at R 5 terminus. Cleft fringes drab. Second lobe with distinctive alternating lines of white and light buff along veins (three white, two light buff). Terminus of veins M 3, Cu 1, and Cu 2 each marked with a minute patch of fuscous scales. Anal margin white basally, distal third light buff. Fringes drab, admixed with some white or light buff along termen. Forewing venter drab except white along costa and anterior half of first lobe. Terminus of veins R 5, M 3, Cu 1, Cu 2 and posterior half of first lobe a slightly darker shade of drab. Hindwing. Dorsum uniformly drab to light buff, fringes drab; venter drab except for basal third to half of third lobe white. Venous scales ferruginous.
Male genitalia (n = 4). Uncus slightly curved, tapered, length similar or just exceeding that of tegumen. Tegumen with lightly sclerotized median rod on distal two-thirds, tapered anterad. Valvae subequal or right valve slightly shorter than left. Left saccular process short, thorn-like, apex curved toward meson. Overall process length including base similar to that of uncus, base with heavily sclerotized area laterally (Fig. 34a). Right valve with saccular margin a sclerotized ridge with a minute dentate process projecting from middle (Fig. 34a). Juxta with pair of moderately sclerotized support rods basally, converging at anellus. Anellus arms asymmetrical, with right arm slightly longer. Phallus (Fig. 34b) just exceeding half left valva length, slightly curved, tapered at apex; coecum penis, about 0.18× phallus length.
Female genitalia (n = 1). Papillae anales with weakly sclerotized band at base, moderately setose, longest setae exceeding length of papillae anales. Apophyses posteriores length about 2.5× that of papillae anales. Apophyses anteriores absent. Anterior margin of tergite VIII simple. Ostium width about 0.5× length of papillae anales. Antrum, elongate, tapered anterad, length about 2× ostium width, interior with weak sclerite. Bursa copulatrix and ductus seminalis joined near anterior part of antrum. Bursa copulatrix undifferentiated, elongate and slightly enlarged at anterior, length about 1.3× that of papillae anales. Ductus seminalis simple, about as wide as middle of antrum, exceeding bursa copulatrix in length by about 1× antrum length.
Types. HOLOTYPE. ♂ - with the following labels: ‘ BAHAMAS: Crooked Is. │vic. Seaview Settlement │ 22.820375°, −74.280567° │ 8.vi.2015 │ M. Simon, G. Goss’ [white printed]; ‘ Bahamas Survey │ M. Simon Coll. │ MGCL Accession │ No. 2015-53 ’ [white printed]; ‘ HOLOTYPE ♂ │ Hellinsia │ lucayana │ D. Matthews’ [red printed]; ‘ PTERO1493 │ Pterophoridae Database’ [white printed with barcode]. The holotype is deposited at MGCL. PARATYPES 6 ♂, 1 ♀ - BAHAMAS: Crooked Island: vic. Seaview Settlement, 22.820375°, −74.280567°, 8.vi.2015, MJS, GJG (1 ♂, slide DM 2109); N side of Horseshoe Beach nr. Gun Bluff, 22.835432°, −74.323017°, 6.vi.2013, MJS, GJG, at light (1 ♂, slide DM 2112); Mayaguana Island: vic. Curtis Creek, 22.404722°, −72.976389°, 29.vi.2014, MJS, GJG (4 ♂, slides DM 2098, DM 2111, 1 ♀, DM slide 2110).
Life history. Unknown.
Distribution. This species is known from Crooked and Mayaguana Islands. Habitats in the vicinity of collecting localities included coastal coppice, beach, and coastal rock communities.
Etymology. This species is named for the Lucayans, descendants of the Taino people of the Caribbean, who inhabited The Bahama (or Lucayan) Archipelago prior to the arrival of Columbus.
Comments. Worn specimens do not always show the distinctive markings of the forewing second lobe.
description: Published as part of Matthews, Deborah L., Miller, Jacqueline Y., Simon, Mark J. & Goss, Gary J., 2019, Additions to the plume moth fauna of The Bahamas (Lepidoptera: Pterophoridae) with description of four new species, pp. 1-35 in Insecta Mundi 708 (708) on pages 16-17, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3673602