Schausiana trojesa
Creators: name: Mielke, Carlos G. C.
name: Grehan, John R.
name: Monzón-Sierra, José
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hepialidae
Schausiana
Schausiana trojesa

description: Schausiana trojesa (Schaus, 1901)
(Figs 1–2, 6–8, 22–23, 26–29, 34, 37, 40)
Phassus trojesa Schaus (1901: 76); Mexico, Trojes; [type no. 18613]; [USNM].— Wagner & Pfitzner (1911: 19).—Pfitzner (1938: 1300; pl. 100d dorsal [♀]).— Viette (1950b: 190).
Schausiana trojesa: Viette (1950a: 80; fig. 8 (♂ gen.)).— Nielsen & Robinson (1983: 18).— Robinson & Nielsen (1984: 17).— Nielsen et al. (2000: 841).— Mielke & Grehan (2012: 148).— Grehan (2012: 29; fig. (sternite II)).— López et al. (2013: 73; fig. 2 (larva)).— López de la Cruz et al. (2015: 76).— Gómez et al. (2016: 54).
Phassus trajesa [sic]: Ramos-Elorduy et al. (2011: 4).
Schaussiana [sic] trojesa: Gómez & Junghans (2014: 18).
Type material. Lectotype ♂ (Fig. 6; here designated): Trojes [Angangueo, Michoacán, Mexico (see remarks)]/ Phassus trojesa type Schaus/ gn n, y ix 76 1901/ Collection WmSchaus/ Photo det E. S. Nielsen 1984/ Type No. 18.163 U.S.N.M./ LECTOTYPUS, Schausiana trojesa C. Mielke, Grehan & Monzón des. 2020/ (USNM). Examined.
Examined material (6 ♂, 11 ♀). All MEXICO. Michoacán: 1 ♂, lectotype (data above). Mexico (DF): 1 ♀, Mexico, V.[19]12 (SMFL); 1 ♂, Zacualpan, VI.1915, Hoffman leg. (JRG dissection M75 (CMNH)). Morelos: 1 ♂, Tepoztlán, 29.VI.1958, L. Vazquez leg.; 1 ♀, km 55 Fed. Hwy. Cuernavaca, 26.V.1984, C. Beutelspacher B. leg. (UNAM). Puebla: 1 ♂, Puebla, 15.VI.1920. Hoffmann leg. (JRG dissection M234 (AMNH)). Oaxaca: 1 ♂, Plano Seco, 2290 m, 8.VI.2016, G. Nogueira leg. (CGCM 39.417 (CGCM)); 1 ♀, ca., Tlaxiaco, 15 km SE San Martín Huamalulpan, Cabañas Yucunuvichi, 2200 m, 17°19’41’’ N 97°38’09’’ W, 22.V.2015, C. Conlan, S. Naumann & B. Wenczel leg. No available data: 1♂, 2 ♀ (MGCL); 3 ♀ (AMNH); 3 ♀ (USNM).
Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Schausiana by presence of a prominent black spot, sometimes elliptical, in the basal area of the anal cell in both sexes. The A vein of the male is prominently marked in white. The wing margin is smooth and the postdiscal and premarginal bands are well defined in both sexes. The shape and spacing of specialized scales on the FW are shared only with Schausiana maishei sp. nov.
Redescription. Male (Figs 6, 7 a–b, 23, 26, 28, 34a–c).
Head. Frons and vertex dark brown. Antenna with ~30 antenomeres.
Thorax. Pro- and mesothorax coloured dorsally dark brown, with scattered long and pale grey piliform scales, metathorax anteriorly as for the mesothorax, ventrally and posteriorly light brown with long piliform scales. Epiphysis absent. FW length: 33–49 mm, width: 14–21 mm (ratio ~2:3), wingspan: 68–95 mm; elongate and lanceolate, tornus indistinct; costal margin convex, apex slightly pronounced and acute, outer margin straight from apex to M 1, inner margin convex. DFW (Fig. 1) ground colour greyish-brown to brown with numerous short longitudinal black stripes between veins, generally surrounded by pale yellow scales throughout; anal area lighter with an irregular and detached black spot; antemedial area marked by an irregular U-shaped band with the distal arm extending from the stigma to A vein (whitish-grey); postdiscal band extends from costal to inner margins, oblique, and interrupted between Rs4 and M 2, sometimes either connected to premarginal band or convexly continuous; premarginal band runs Rs2-M3, brown, disjunct at M1; marginal band brown, subparallel to the premarginal band and with diamondshaped or triangular lighter spot between veins; stigma white and subtriangular; evenly spaced white specialized scales on the veins, long and piliform closer to wing base, spine-like nearer wing margin. DHW greyish-brown, light brown at base, costal margin distally brown with light brown markings, marginal band narrow with minute pale brown spots between veins; veins distally coloured dark yellowish. VFW and VHW greyish-brown with apex and veins distally marked dark yellow.
Abdomen (Fig. 28). First two segments dorsally and ventrally concolorous with the posterior portion of metathorax, then segments III to VIII dark-brown with some dark blue reflective scales, lighter posteriorly on each segment with long filiform scales, ventrally lighter. Tergite II with slight concave borders, sternite II elongated with lateral margin slightly concave and posterior margin straight; tergite VIII somewhat rectangular with posterior margin concave, sternite VIII rectangular, six times wider than long and slightly concave posteriorly.
Male genitalia (Figs 34 a–c). Tegumen narrow, rectangular, fused to pseudotegumen, and contiguous with tergal lobes. Saccus U-shaped, posterior margin with a prominent ventrally projecting mesal shelf.Tergal lobe well marked, fused to the pseudotegumen, each side wider proximately, narrowing distally. Pseudotegumen subrectangular with a lateral ridge parallel to the ventral margins of the anterior and posterior portions; increasingly sclerotized ventrally; antero-dorsally projected; ventral projection subtriangular, folded midway inward; anterior portion of the ventral margin finely serrate, but not as much the posterior portion. Fultura inferior twice as long as wide, with rounded edges dorsally, notched mesally, and a longitudinal mesal ridge. Fultura superior slightly sclerotized, U-shaped. Valva setose, twice longer than wide, elbowed, distal half thinner, lobate and angled posteriorly, more sclerotized at base with a conspicuous heavily sclerotised spine at the anterior corner of the sacculus.
Female (Figs 1–2, 8, 22, 27, 29, 37 a–b, 40).
Head. As for the ♂.
Thorax. FW A vein not marked. FW length: 57 mm, width: 24 mm (ratio ~2.4), wingspan: 108 mm.
Abdomen (Fig. 29). Tergite II with almost straight lateral ridges near lateral margin, sternite II trapezoidal with posterior margin broadly concave mesally; sternite VII rectangular, reduced, three times wider than long; tergite VIII mostly membranous, sclerotization reduced to a minute central spot, sternite VIII similar in size and proportions to tergite VII, anterior margin mesally projected.
Female genitalia (Figs 37 a–b, 40). Tergum IX (dorsal plate) an inverted U articulating with sternum IX (lamella antevaginalis); anal papillae producing a distinct convex angle, posterior edge setose. Lamella antevaginalis laterally a horizontal bar, distinctly notched dorso-mesally producing setose postero-lateral processes on each side; anteriorly to these, a robust dorsally projecting tongue-shaped lobe that, with the lateral margins of the lamella antevaginalis, form a membranous depression between both structures. Subanal plate shaped as an irregular transverse bar, tapering medially. Corpus bursae twice the length of the ductus bursae, blunt, round-ended, diverticulum present.
Geographical distribution. Schausiana trojesa is known from several higher elevation localities (Fig. 48). The Chiapas (Mexico) localities of Oxchuc, Argovia, Independencia, and Ixtapa recorded by Ramos-Elorduy et al. (2011) and López G. et al. (2013) need corroboration as the species reference has not been verified. Their reference to S. pharus in Oxchuc is confirmed here (see below in the geographical distribution section for S. pharus).
Host plants. Buddleja americana L., Senecio salignus D.C. (Ramos-Elorduy et al. 2011). Quercus segoviensis Liebm., Q. rugosa Née., Q. crassifolia Humb. & Bonpl., Q. laurina Bonpl., Q. candicans Née., Q. skutchii Trel., Q. crispipilis Trel. (Fagaceae), Cornus disciflor DC. (Cornaceae), Vernonia leiocarpa DC. (Asteraceae), Buddleja cordata Kunth. (Loganeaceae), Alnus acuminata arguta (Schltdl.) Furlow (Betulaceae), Lippia myriocephala Schltdl. & Cham. and L. substrigosa Turcz (Verbenaceae) (López G. et al. 2013). See comments about these references in the geographical distribution section
Etymology. It is likely that Schaus (1901) proposed the specific name for Trojes, the locality of the lectotype (see remarks).
Remarks. Schaus (1901) did not specify the number of syntypes examined when describing Phassus trojesa. As noted above, one syntype ♂ bears the label “type” and is here designated as lectotype. The designation is made to permanently stabilize the species’ identification.
The type locality had not been precisely defined or mapped, but there is a strong likelihood that the name refers to the Trojes silver mine located around Angangueo in Michoacán, Mexico, an area with an altitude of about 2,500 m. Other records for this species at similar altitudes in this area at are at least consistent with S. trojesa is being present in the vicinity of Angangueo.
Pfitzner (1938: 1300, pl. 100d) illustrated one specimen for which the sex was not specified. The lack of the white FW A vein lead us to identify it as a ♀, and therefore recognize this as the first female description for this species.
description: Published as part of Mielke, Carlos G. C., Grehan, John R. & Monzón-Sierra, José, 2020, Taxonomic revision of Schausiana Viette with two new species from Guatemala and notes on biogeography and correlated tectonics (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), pp. 67-91 in Zootaxa 4860 (1) on pages 70-73, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4860.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/4413508