Coelopoeta sariae Kaila 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaila, Lauri
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Pterolonchidae
Coelopoeta
Coelopoeta sariae

description: Coelopoeta sariae Kaila, sp. nov.
Figs. 25, 35
Holotype ♂: U.S.A., California, 32.87°N, 116.41°W, San Diego Co., Laguna Mts., Pinus / Quercus / meadow, 18.vii.1998, black light, L. Kaila & S. Timonen leg., L. Kaila prep. 6364; DNA-voucher FinBOL 2019; http:// id.luomus.fi/KZ7709 (MZH).
Diagnosis. C. sariae is a very small and narrow-winged species. With the pale brown forewing colour it resembles C. phaceliae and C. aurora. The white spot in the distal 3/5 of the dorsal margin of the forewing is brighter than in C. phaceliae, more reminiscent of C. aurora. The flagellum of the antenna is distinctly serrate in C. sariae, unlike C. phaceliae or C. aurora. C. aurora is more broad-winged than C. sariae. The male genitalia of these species are distinguished by the following characteristics of C. sariae: dorsal part of the apex of the valva is markedly produced, and the uncus is apically inwardly bent as a small hook. The female is unknown.
Description. Forewing length 3.5 mm. Labial palpus 1/3 diameter of head, porrect; labial palpus, head and neck tuft white, tegula and thorax intermixed with white and pale brown scales; scape of antenna grey above, white below, with pecten consisting of white scales; pedicel grey. Flagellum thick, serrate, grey, annulated with white rings. Fore-and midleg grey, with white spot on tibia, tarsal articles basally white; hindleg off-white, slightly darker above. Forewing pale brown; white spot in distal 3/5 of dorsal margin; fringe concolorous with ground colour. Hindwing grey with concolorous fringe. Underside of fore- and hindwing dark grey.
Male genitalia. Uncus undivided, evenly tapered and curved as ventrally directed hook in distal 1/4, slightly shorter than tegumen. Gnathos as long as uncus, distally tapered and slightly bent towards uncus. Tegumen in lateral view not as high as width of valva. Valva parallel-sided in both lateral and ventral views, almost half as wide as long; apex costally with small extension, termen distolaterally bulbous. Juxta broadest at distal third, distally concave, evenly tapered to rounded anterior margin. Saccus slightly bent dorsad, twice as long as its width at its narrowest point in middle, apex broadly rounded. Phallus as long as valva, basal opening dorsally directed, with coarse carina along distal opening.
Female unknown.
Biology. The single specimen has been caught at black light in a meadow with Pinus and Quercus, in mid-July; otherwise the biology is unknown.
Distribution. Known only from the type locality in California, Laguna Mountains, in San Diego County.
Remarks. The barcode is within the small range of variation seen in the morphologically distinct C. glutinosi, suggesting recent speciation.
description: Published as part of Kaila, Lauri, 2024, A review of Coelopoetinae (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea, Pterolonchidae), a moth subfamily confined to western North America, with descriptions of seven new species, pp. 361-384 in Zootaxa 5458 (3) on pages 376-377, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5458.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/11547498