Cloesia methyalea ( Hampson, 1900 ), 2023

Laguerre, Michel, Espinoza S., Bernardo A., Janzen, Daniel H. & Hallwachs, Winnie, 2023, Revision of the genus Cloesia Hampson, 1900: description of five new species and recombination of two species (Noctuoidea Erebidae Arctiinae Lithosiini), Faunitaxys (New York, N. Y.) 11 (47), pp. 1-21 : 8

Cloesia methyalea ( Hampson, 1900) comb. n. BIN BOLD:AAN7015

Material examined

Holotype, ♀, BOLIVIA. Songo (Garlepp), 98-151. In NHMUK, examined.

FRENCH GUIANA

1 ♂, Piste de Kaw , PK 40 + 2, 24-VII-2003, 260 M, 4°32.535' N 52°07.485' W, M. Laguerre leg.

1 ♂, Piste de Kaw, PK15, 27-II-2006, M. Laguerre leg., dissected Gen. ML3613 (light-blue manuscript label).

1 ♂, Piste Patagaï, 5-IX-2018, 54 m, 5°24'51.85" N 53°10'32.55" W, M. Laguerre leg.

1 ♀, Piste de Saut Léodate, PK12, 12-II-1999, M. Laguerre leg.

1 ♂, Piste Coralie, PK 7.4, 22-VII-2001, M. Laguerre leg.

1 ♂, Same data but PK 7.5 and 25-VII-2003, 50 m.

1 ♀, Piste de Kaw, PK32 + 2.3, 2-VIII- 2003, 240 m, 4°34.325' N 52°11.460' W, M. Laguerre leg., dissected Gen. ML3634 (light-blue manuscript label).

1 ♂, Piste de Kaw , PK 37.5 + 2, 30-VII- 2003, 200 m, 4°33.691' N 52°08.391' W, M. Laguerre leg., dissected Gen. ML 712 .

1 ♂, Piste de Kaw , PK 37.5, 22-II- 2006, 270 m, 4°32.908' N 52°08.728' W, M. Laguerre leg.

All in MLC.

1 ♂, Summit Inselberg, Nourag[u]es, 28-I-2010, Lt: 4.09642° Ln: -52.68282°, 419 m, Carlos Lopez Vaamonde leg., LNOU-0466, dissected Gen. ML3628 (light-blue manuscript), sequenced Process ID LNOUB644-10, BOLD ID LNOU-0466 (yellow printed label).

In MNHN.

Diagnosis. – A divergent species characterized by steel-blue forewings and hindwings devoid of the androconial pouch, but with a largely white disk. In the male genitalia the juxta is long, narrow and strongly pointed and the transtilla processes are very short.The female genitalia are highly diagnostic.

Male ( Fig. 10 a-b)

Forewing length: 13-14 mm. Antennae black, thin and ciliate. Head, tegulae and thorax black with a steel blue hue. Patagia black. Palpi very short, black. Legs blackwith a weakblue reflection on tibias. Abdomen lustrous, blackwitha strong blue reflection. Forewingsblackwith a dark blue reflection.Hindwingsblackwith the entire disk almost translucent.The distal part of the wings with a strong steel blue reflection.Below as above, the forewings dark grey and not black.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 a-d)

The uncus is enlarged basally,then constricted in the middle and ovoid at the end with a pointed tip. The tegumen displays on each side a small triangular expansion below uncus. The vinculum is evenlyrounded and thesaccusalmost absent. Valvae are symmetrical,almost as long as the tip of uncus, elongated and subrectangular withtheirextremities enlarged,spoonshaped, with asmall spike dorsally.Juxtaisnarrow, aslongas half thevalvae,with a strong spineat tip.The transtilla arms are very short and hardly visible. The aedeagus is short, almost straight with a three lobed vesica perpendicularto the mainaxis.There is a large patch of small cornuti at the base of lobes 2 and 3.All three lobes are smooth.

Female ( Fig. 10 c-d)

Forewing length: 14 mm. Similar to male but the reflection on forewings is dull purplish blue. On hindwings the reflection is less intense and the translucent disk is blurred by dark scales.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 12d)

Papillae anales subrectangular, apophyses long and thin, the anteriores longer than the posteriores. Antrum strongly sclerotized, almost cylindrical with a carina ventrally.Ductus bursa with a strongly sclerotized curved triangular plate. The bursa copulatrix small, entirely wrinkled with a rounded verrucate signum.

Early stages. – Unknown.

Distribution. – Presently known from French Guiana where the species is rather common and from the Bolivian Yungas.