Lascoria coma Troubridge, new species

Lascoria coma Troubridge, new species

(Fig. 8a, 8b, 61, 110)

BIN: BOLD:AAB4991

Diagnosis. There are four species of Lascoria Walker living in Florida. In L. ambigualis (Walker) (BIN: BOLD:AAA4458) the forewing is rust brown with a dark mesial area, particularly adjacent to the antemedial line. Internally, the valves are asymmetrical with the left valve shorter than the right and the ostium bursae has a broad sclerotized pouch that extends well beyond the ductus bursae (Fig. 63, 112). Lascoria alucitalis (Guenée) (BIN: BOLD:AAB2758) is a much darker species with symmetrical valves, the lower section with a low, stout, subapical process, the upper section straight, blunt, and finger-like, and the fleshy center section finger-like but swollen in the middle (Fig. 64). The female genitalia look remarkably like a guitar, the long, narrow ductus bursae with sclerotization that extends onto the posterior half of the corpus bursae (Fig. 113). Lascoria coma is most closely related to L. orneodalis (Guenée) (BIN: BOLD:AAB4990) (Fig. 9) and they are difficult to distinguish without examining the genitalia. Both species are muddy brown and what little pattern they have appears to be variable. The male valves are similar in that the ventral process is bifid at the tip, and the dorsal process is reduced to a flattened plate that is covered with short spines, this plate is narrower than that of L. coma. There is a short spine at the tip of the aedeagus of L. coma, which is reduced to form a small sclerite in L. orneodalis. The middle, fleshy process of L. orneodalis looks like a long-necked bottle (Fig. 62), whereas that of L. coma looks like a leaf with several lateral processes (Fig. 61). I illustrate the genitalia of all four species, males are easily identified by brushing the scales away from the genitalia.

Description. Male antennae bipectinate, female antennae filiform, ciliate; head, vertex, thorax, and abdomen brown. Dorsal forewing (male). Forewing length 10.5–11.5 mm. Ground color brown; basal, antemedial, and medial lines usually reduced to shadows only slightly darker than the ground color of the wing; postmedial and submarginal lines, if present, darker brown than ground color and undulate; postmedial area adjacent to submarginal line a darker brown than remainder of wing; terminal line present as a series of dark brown dots between veins; orbicular spot absent, reniform spot occurs as one or two minute yellow dots; fringe brown. Outer margin with deep cleft at vein CuA1 and costal margin with scent patch (both absent in female). Dorsal hindwing. Ground color brown, becoming darker brown toward margin; faint discal spot and medial line slightly darker brown than wing; terminal line a series of dark-brown dots between veins; fringe brown. Male genitalia (Fig. 61). Valves symmetrical, saccular extension bifid apically with flattened terminal point and longer subapical, flattened, dorsal point; dorsal margin of valve with sclerotized plate with a raised comb of low spines; valve narrows apically to form an elongate, leaf-like process between costal margin and bifid clasper; uncus with narrow neck, swollen in middle, narrows to a sharp point; aedeagus with small dorsal terminal spine; vesica sac-like, bends dorsally with three dorsal, scobinate diverticula. Female genitalia (Fig. 110). Ovipositor lobes setose, flattened across apex; ostium bursae with heavily sclerotized ventral plate with broad, lateral plates extending along the entire length of ductus bursae on dorsal and left sides; appendix bursae with coiled, ventral diverticulum narrowing toward ductus seminalis; corpus bursae more or less round with scobinate ventral surface.

Type material. Holotype female: USA: Florida, Desoto Co.: Peace River, 27.545°N, 81.598° W, 9.Mar. 2010, BOLD sample ID: CNCLEP 73820, J. Troubridge, in the CNC. Paratypes: 3♂, 4♀: Alachua Co.: Gainesville, 3215 Hull Road, FLMNH McGuire Center, 9.Jan.2019, J. Hayden, slide MGCL 5630, 1♂ (FSCA); San Felasco Hammock, 22.Feb.1975, J.B. Heppner, 1♀ (FSCA); Sarasota Co.: North Port, 27° 02.5′N, 82° 05.0′W, 6.Nov.2013, 1♂; 7.Feb.2012, 1♀; 16.Nov. 2011, 1♀; 26.Nov.2012, 1♀, all J. Troubridge. Seminole Co.: Sanford, Hidden Lake Villas, 31.Dec.1988, R. Gillmore, 1♂ (MGCL).

Etymology. From Latin, the word coma means leaves or foliage, which refers to the leaf-like apical processes of the male valves, which are diagnostic of the species.

Distribution. This species has been collected in peninsular Florida, northward at least to Gainesville and southward to at least Sarasota and Desoto counties. Its nearest relative, L. orneodalis, has been collected from the Florida Keys, northward to Collier Co., as well as in the Antilles, Costa Rica, and probably elsewhere in the Neotropics.

Remarks. The DNA was analyzed, and the 658 COI base pairs compared with those of specimens of L. orneodalis. The results showed a 3.13% difference between L. coma and L. orneodalis.

Erebidae: Rivulinae