Megalota ochreoapex Brown 2009, new species

8. Megalota ochreoapex Brown, new species Figs. 8, 32, 54

Diagnosis. Megalota ochreoapex is one of few species of New World Megalota that can be distinguished easily based on facies alone. It has two unique elements of the forewing pattern: a pinkish ocherous, crescentshaped apical region, and a bluish silver patch in the tornus bordered basally by a small, ill-defined white spot. The female genitalia are like those of members of the submicans group with the signum in the form of a plate with a group of short blunt sclerites and a short colliculum. However, the male genitalia, with an elongate basal process of the valva and the absence of the patch of elongate setae from the subbasal area of the valva, are typical of the delphinosema group. Hence, assignment of this species to either species group is equivocal.

Description. Head: Vertex mixed with copper, creamy white, and dark brown, frons pale brown; labial palpus brown, with a small creamy white spot at junction of segments. Thorax: Dorsum brown, tegula brown mixed with gray-brown and white; metascutum with well-developed copper tuft. Hind tibia in male with elongate, shiny gray sex scaling concealing creamy white hairpencil. Forewing length 7.0– 8.1 mm (mean = 7.8); basal 0.33 mostly dark brown with irregular irrorations, bordered distally by a broad, indistinct, pale brown fascia; apical region bordered by slender crescent-shaped, pinkish ocherous patch; tornus with well-developed patch of glossy bluish silver with small region of white along basal edge. Fringe brown. Hindwing dark brown, anal margin in male with well-developed fold. Abdomen: Glossy grayish brown. Male genitalia (Fig. 32; 3 preparations examined) with tegumen rectangular; uncus broad, comparatively short, with deep rounded dorsal notch; socius inconspicuous; valva symmetrical, narrow, with dense cluster of short spiniform setae near middle, second patch of longer, finer setae at venter slightly apicad of spiniform cluster at basal termination of narrow distal portion of valva, third tiny patch of short setae in basal 0.33 of valva; basal process of valva relatively straight, without elbowed bend, sparse longer hairs near middle, attenuate and densely spined in distal ca. 0.2. Phallus with two minute external spines, one near tip, one ca. mid-length; vesica with one or two small, slender cornuti. Female genitalia (Fig. 54; 1 preparation examined) with papillae anales simple; sterigma an angular band with broad, triangular arch mesally; colliculum broad, strongly sclerotized, occupying posterior 0.25 of ductus bursae, remainder of ductus bursae membranous; corpus bursae rounded-oblong; signum a small irregularly sclerotized patch with narrow band of short blunt spines.

Holotype. Male, Costa Rica, Cartago, Turrialba, 22–28 Feb 1965, S. S. & D. D. Duckworth (USNM), USNM slide 95,354.

Paratypes (8♂, 1♀). COSTA RICA: Cartago: Turrialba, 17–21 Feb 1965 (3♂), 22–28 Feb 1965 (2♂), S. S. & D. D. Duckworth (USNM). Alajuela: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Rincon Rainforest, Camino Río Francia, 410 m, 01-SRNP-4119, 17 Jan 2001, em: 30 Jan 2001 (1♂), r.f. Croton billbergianus, J. Perez (USNM). Guanacaste: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector del Oro, Chon, 280 m, 05-SRNP-20479, 27 Jan 2005, em: 12 Feb 2005 (1♂), r.f. Croton billbergianus, E. Cantillano (USNM). Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Sector Pitillas, Amonias, 390 m, 06-SRNP-30879, 13 Feb 2006, em: 7 Mar 2006 (1♀), r.f. Croton billbergianus, C. Moraga (USNM). San José: Est. Carrillo, P.N. Braulio Carrillo, 700 m, Jul 1990 (1♀), I Curso Microlepid. (INBio). PANAMA: Porto Bello, Mar 1911 (1♂), A. Busck (USNM).

Distribution and Biology. Megalota ochreoapex is known from Turrialba, Braulio Carrillo, and Area de Conservación Guancaste, Costa Rica, and Porto Bello, Panama, all of which are below 700 m elevation and support lowland tropical rainforest. Two males were reared from Croton billbergianus Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) at Area de Conservación Guanacaste (Janzen & Hallwachs 2007).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the ocherous patch of the forewing apex.