Spinulata quasivinnea Davis & Gentili-Poole & Mitter 2008, SP. NOV.

SPINULATA QUASIVINNEA SP. NOV.

(FIGS 29, 30, 65, 66, 95, 113, 114, 139)

Male (Fig. 29): Forewing length: 16–17 mm.

Head: Antenna cream; labial palpi cream ventrally, mostly brown dorsally; frons mostly cream; vertex cream, irrorated with light rusty-brown.

Thorax: Patagia same as vertex; dorsum and tegula mostly cream, irrorated with light rusty-brown; metathorax slightly more rusty-brown; pleura and venter cream; legs same as venter, with tarsi cream, irrorated with brown mesally and mostly brown laterally. Forewing mostly cream; costal margin with short greyish brown striae; a large dark redish brown spot in discal cell, with two smaller subequal dark redish brown spots falling in a line below discal spot, with third spot more faint than second; numerous dark and light rusty-brown transverse striae along entire wing, parallel to termen; fringe light creamy golden brown; forewing cream and light brown ventrally; costal margin with light rusty-brown striae; rusty-brown discal spot present, with rusty-brown transverse striae mostly along terminal half of wing. Hindwing cream dorsally and ventrally; fringe light golden cream.

Abdomen: Cream dorsally, with A1–A2 light rustybrown; cream ventrally.

Male genitalia (Figs 65, 66, 95): Valva subtrapezoidal; length of valva approximately 0.9¥ length of genital capsule; gnathos–uncus expanse approximately 0.7¥ length of genital capsule. Saccular process a triangular patch of blunt spines ending along basal margin of valva; juxta process truncate and mostly fused to valva; gnathos arms long; gnathos bridge textured with minute rugosities and broadly curved as viewed posterio-ventrally; bridge trilobed as viewed dorsally; uncus elongate and digitiform, truncated terminally, with acute apex. Aedoeagus broadly curved, tapering to a slender, acute apex as viewed laterally; apex rounded as viewed ventrally; coecum strongly humped.

Female (Fig. 30): Forewing length: 17–21 mm.

Head: Antennae cream; labial palpus cream, irrorated with brown ventrally, mostly brown dorsally; frons cream, irrorated with brown; vertex mostly rustybrown, irrorated with cream.

Thorax: Patagia same as vertex; dorsum and tegula cream and light rusty-brown; pleura, venter and legs similar to male, except cream areas mixed more with light brown. Forewing similar to male, except slightly more brown dorsally and ventrally; fringe similar to male. Hindwing cream and brown dorsally and ventrally; fringe similar to male.

Abdomen: Cream and light brown dorsally, with A1–A2 more rusty-brown; mostly cream ventrally, with some light brown.

Female genitalia (Figs 113, 114): Sternite 8 developed and triangular, with sides slightly concave; intersegmental membrane between abdominal sternites 7 and 8 developed, sclerotized and sculptured with many cuticular pits, wrinkles and folds; ductus bursae short, curved and with many longitudinal cuticular wrinkles; corpus bursae somewhat small and oblong, approximately 0.6¥ length of bursa copulatrix.

Distribution: Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Holotype: ♂, COSTA RICA: PUNTARENAS: Golfito, Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas, Estación El Bonito, el Tanque, 100 m, ii.2002, Trampa de Luz, M. Moraga, (INBio).

Paratypes: COSTA RICA: PUNTARENAS: Bosque Esquinas, Península Osa, 200 m: 1 ♂, iii.1994, M. Segura, slide USNM 85643 (USNM); Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Sirena: 1 ♂, v.1984, D. H. Janzen & W. Hallwachs, slide USNM 96042 (USNM); Estación San Miguel, Sendero Mirador, 120 m: 1 ♂, 3.x.–2.xi.1997, trampa de luz, F. Alvarado, slide USNM 96039 (USNM); Parque Nacional Corcovado, Sector La Leona, Cerro Puma, 100–300 m: 2 ♀, 23–27.ix.2003, K. Caballero, (INBio); Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, Quepos, 80 m: 2 ♀, ii.1993, slide USNM 85644, 1 ♀, viii.1992, 1 ♀, xii.1993, slide USNM 96028, G. Varela, 1 ♂, vi.1991, R. Zuniga, (INBio, USNM); Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas, Golfito, Estación El Bonito, 100 m: 1 ♀, 16–17.iv.2002, M. Moraga, (INBio).

Host: Unknown.

Flight period: Adults have been collected in nearly every month of the year.

Etymology: Derived from the Latin ‘quasi’ meaning ‘appearing as if’ or ‘simulating’. Spinulata quasivinnea refers to its strong similarity to the previously named species S. vinnea, synonymized here with S. acutipennis.

Discussion: In genital morphology, this species is very similar to another Costa Rican species, S. acutipennis. It differs in possessing distinctly dark and light brown transverse striae over the entire forewing (Figs 29, 30). In acutipennis the forewing has a mottled pattern rather than striated, caused by either the fusion or the disappearance of many of the striae. The female genitalia, although somewhat similar, show specific differences, especially in the ostium. S. quasivinnea lacks the sclerotized projection (Figs 113, 114) caudal to the ostium, which is present in acutipennis.