Chlamydastis vividella

Figures 1–3, 51, 90, 124

Stenoma vividella Busck 1914: 43; Brown et al. 2004: 146.

Chlamydastis arenaria (synonymy in error): Becker 1984: 34.

Syntypes (4♂). Panama: La Chorrera, April 1912 (1♂), May 1912 (2♂). Porto Bella, April 1912 (1♂), A. Busck (USNM).

Specimens examined (10♂, 15♀). See Appendix 1.

Diagnosis. Chlamydastis vividella is most similar to C. abelulatei in FW pattern and male genitalia, but it can be distinguished by its larger size and by the shape and configuration of the cornuti (longer in C. vividella) in the male genitalia. In the female genitalia, the ductus bursae is heavily sclerotized in C. vividella but not so in C. abelulatei.

Redescription. MALE (Fig. 1, 2). Head. Frons white; vertex cream intermixed with yellowish scales; labial palpus cream intermixed with brown scales, a broad brown lateral band on first and basal half of second segment, third segment with an apical spot; antenna with sensory setae ca. 1.5 times width of flagellomere. Thorax. Tegula and dorsum ocherous. FW length 8.0– 9.1 mm; FW ground color pale ocherous; a moderately broad, brown, oblique fascia extending from near mid-costa, terminating near a squarish black dash near mid-termen; a faint, pale brown subbasal dash extending from costa, ca. 0.25 length from base to apex, to ca. upper edge of discal cell; a variable patch of white scales in apical region surrounding a small, semicircular costal spot. HW dark gray. A green form (Fig. 2) with ocherous ground color replaced by light brown and green scales, and sub-terminal areas with larger white spots, especially near apex. Abdomen. Externally dark gray with first and second segments ocherous dorsally. Internally elongate patch of secondary setae enclosed in sheathlike structure in middle of last segment, ca. 0.15 as long as abdomen. Genitalia (Fig. 51) with uncus long, narrow, rounded at tip; sacculus ca. 0.6 times length of valva with a short, blunt, free tip; valva as described for species group; lateral processes of juxta long and broad; phallus curved, with two distinct ribbonlike cornuti.

FEMALE (Fig. 3). Head and Thorax. Essentially as described for male, except sensory setae of antenna short, sparse; FW length 9.8–10.1 mm. Abdomen. Genitalia (Fig. 90) with papillae anales slightly narrowed and diverging distally; sterigma simple, with a distinct rounded, setose, median lobe posteriorly; ductus bursae complex, narrow posteriorly, expanded anteriorly into a strongly sclerotized portion extending nearly to junction with corpus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, pear-shaped; signum oblong, spiny, with middle area unsclerotized.

DNA barcodes. The 81 barcodes of C. vividella form a uniform BIN (BOLD:AAA0062) with an average distance of 0.03% among sequences, and a distance of 3.19% to its nearest neighbor, C. abelulatei. GenBank accession code HM424376 for 09-SRNP-69457.

Distribution. This species has been recorded in Costa Rica, Panamá, and Venezuela. In Costa Rica, C. vividella has been found from 0 to 700 m in the northern part of the country, the central Pacific coast, and in the southern Caribbean slopes. In ACG it is found in the rainforest and in the dry forest in the rainy season.

Biology. Chlamydastis vividella has been reared from larvae feeding on Chrysophyllum brenesii Cronquist (n = 120) (Sapotaceae) (Table 1).

Immature stages (Fig. 124). Head capsule amber; prothoracic shield pale orange; T2 pale greenish orange; T3 and all abdominal segments green or pale green, except A5 with a pair of oblong, yellow, subdorsal patches.

Parasitoids. Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae: Dolichogenidea Janzen 36 (e.g., DHJPAR0041637), Dolichogenidea Janzen 229 (e.g., DHJPAR0043144), Dolichogenidea Janzen 133 (e.g., DHJPAR0049894); Agathidinae: Lytopylus robpringlei (e.g., DHJPAR0042840).

Remarks. Chlamydastis vividella was synonymized with C. arenaria (Walsingham, 1913) by Becker (1984). However, based on differences in FW pattern (as described by Walsingham for the holotype of C. arenaria), the two appear to be distinct. In addition, given the diversity of this species group throughout South and Central America, it seems somewhat unlikely that this species would range from Brazil to Costa Rica.