Marimatha piscimala Ferris &amp; Lafontaine 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Ferris, Clifford
name: Lafontaine, Donald
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Noctuidae
Marimatha
Marimatha piscimala

description: <i>Marimatha piscimala</i> Ferris &amp; Lafontaine, sp. n. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F610BE0F-C8CF-4BA7-9C3D-BB88F91EB1DF Figs 9, 10, 15, 22 <b>Type material.</b> <b>Holotype</b> &amp;male;. <b>Texas.</b>, Kimble Co., Fred Coleman Ranch, 12 mi S Junction, 16 June 1972, B. Wright; Genitalia CNC slide # 15033 m. CNC. <b>Paratypes:</b> 22 &amp;male;, 17 &amp;female;. <b>USA. Arizona.</b> Cochise Co., Ash Canyon, Huachuca Mts., 5170’, 20 July 2006 (1 &amp;female;), 4 Aug. 2009 (1 &amp;female;), C. D. Ferris; Pima Co., Baboquivari Mts., Brown Canyon, 3880’, 18–19 Aug. 2006, C. D. Ferris (6 &amp;male;, 3 &amp;female;); Pima Co., Baboquivari Mts., Brown (Bear) Canyon, 5300–5900’, 2 Aug. 2008, C. Schmidt &amp; L. Crabo, mesquite/riparian (1 &amp;male;); Santa Cruz Co., Madera Canyon 4880’, 13 July – 28 Aug. 1959, J. G. Franclemont (3 &amp;male;, 3 &amp;female;); Santa Cruz Co., Peña Blanca 3950’, 7 Aug. 1959 (1 &amp;male;), 23 Aug. 1960 (1 &amp;male;), J. G. Franclemont; Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia, 4050’, 8 Aug. 2009, C. D. Ferris (1 &amp;male;). <b>Texas.</b> Cameron Co., Audubon Sabal Palm Grove, 11 Oct. 1996, C. Bordelon (1 &amp;female;), 20 April 1997 E. C. Knudson (1 &amp;female;); Comal-Hayes Counties, El Rancho, 29 Aug. 1975, A. &amp; M. E. Blanchard (1 &amp;male;); Hidalgo Co., Bentsen State Park, 18–19 April 1997, E. C. Knudson (1 &amp;female;); Hidalgo Co., Mission, 12 Oct. 2008, C. W. Bordelon (1 &amp;male;); Jeff Davis Co., Ft Davis, Jeff Mts. State Park, 11–13 Sept. 2008, Knudson / Bordelon (1 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;); Kerr Co., Kerrville State Park, 19 Aug. 1980, E. C. Knudson (1 &amp;female;); Starr Co., Roma, 6,7 Oct. 1996, E. C. Knudson (1 &amp;female;). <b>Mexico. Chiapas:</b> 5 mi NW Pijijiapan, Hwy. 200, 31 May 1969, A. Mutuura (5 &amp;male;, 1 &amp;female;); Chiapas, 15 May, R. Muller (1 &amp;female;); <b>San Luis Potosi</b>, El Naranjo, El Salto, 29 June 1965, P. Spangler (1 &amp;female;). <b>Panama.</b> La Chorrera, 12 May, August Busck (1 &amp;male;). Paratypes deposited in CDF, CNC, CUIC, JBW, TLSC, and USNM. <b>Other material examined. USA. Arizona.</b> Cochise Co., Ash Canyon, Huachuca Mts, 31°23.17'N 110°14.281'W, 5170’, 4 August 2009, C. D. Ferris. Santa Cruz Co., Patagonia (in town), 31°32.62'N 110°45.31'W, 4050’, 8 August 2009, C. D. Ferris. <b>Costa Rica.</b> Guanacaste, Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Santa Elena, La Angostura, 26 May 2006 (1 &amp;female;), 24 July 2006 (1 &amp;male;), F. Quesada &amp; R. Franco. <b>Etymology.</b> The species name is derived from the Latin for fish (<i>Piscis</i>) and jaw (<i>mala</i>) and refers to the fish-jaw like appearance of the male valva. <b>Diagnosis.</b> Head with frontal protuberance. Male genitalia: valva broad, ventral margin even; dorsal margin slightly concave to middle, then tapering to apex with multiple narrow dentate projections from dorsal margin; vesica with a long apical cornutus and postmedial cluster of cornuti with mixture of two large and many small cornuti. Female genitalia: ostial plate heart shaped with cleft in middle of posterior margin extending almost to base of plate. <b>Description. Adult:</b> <i>Head</i> <b>–</b> Frontal protuberance shallow crater-like prolate ellipsoidal. <i>Thorax</i> <b>–</b> Yellow with brown flecks. <i>Legs</i>: yellow, flecked with brown scales, more heavily on forelegs and middle legs, and in females. <i>Wings</i> (both sexes): DFW golden yellow with dark discal spot and additional dark spot in fold at ¼ from wing base; often with a smaller third spot below costa at 1/4 from base; a thin orange-brown postmedial line deeply curving around discal spot in some males and most females; specimens from southeastern Texas, and less commonly those from elsewhere, may have increased dark shading on the postmedial line and sometimes a longitudinal streak along the middle of the wing like that often present in <i>M</i>. <i>tripuncta</i>. DHW pale fuscous. VFW yellow, heavily infused with brown scales with well-defined pale band along inner margin. VHW yellow, moderately flecked with brown scales, indistinct brown marginal line; in some specimens a suggestion of a brown discal spot and postmedial line. <i> Male genitalia <i>–</i> Uncus</i> : decurved, slender, slightly spatulate tip. <i>Valvae</i>: symmetrical, broad basally, ventral margin even; dorsal margin slightly concave to middle, then tapering sharply to apex with multiple (7 typically) narrow dentate projections from dorsal edge; apex pointed, corona absent. <i>Aedeagus</i>: smoothly sclerotized; vesica with one large apical cornutus and postmedial cluster of smaller cornuti. <i>Female genitalia</i> <b>–</b> Corpus bursae elongate without surface features; ductus seminalis on right side about &amp;frac13; from anterior end. Anterior part of ductus bursae broad and lightly sclerotized, ductus constricted and elbowed at 1/3 from anterior end with posterior 2/3 narrower and increasingly heavily sclerotized. Ostial plate heart shaped with cleft in middle of posterior margin extending almost to base of plate; when apex of plate brushed in undissected specimens protruding sides of plate project posterolaterally. <b>Distribution and biology.</b> Southeastern Texas to Arizona southward to Panama. Flight season mid-April to mid-October, probably several generations.
description: Published as part of <i>Ferris, Clifford &amp; Lafontaine, Donald, 2010, Review of the North American species of Marimatha Walker with descriptions of three new species (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Eustrotiinae) and the description of Pseudomarimatha flava (Noctuinae, Elaphriini), a new genus and species confused with Marimatha, pp. 117-135 in ZooKeys 39 (39)</i> on pages 128-130, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.39.424, http://zenodo.org/record/576637