Pseudopostega ferruginea Davis & Stonis 2007

Pseudopostega ferruginea

ADULT. Figure 140. Length of forewing 2.1–2.9 mm. Small, mostly white moth with distal third of forewing ferruginous and a black dorsal spot present near basal third; subapical strigulae absent. Male genitalia with caudal margin of gnathos broadly round, minutely serrated

Map 3. Distribution of New World Pseudopostega serrata species group.

with blunt spines; subapicallateral margins of plate sharply flared; basal fold deeply cleft, inverted V-shaped (Figures 267, 268). Papillae anales of female bilobed; lobes short, broadly truncate (Figure 429).

Head: Vestiture white. Scape white. Flagellum golden brown, ~50–54-segmented. Maxillary and labial palpi white, with dark suffusion of fuscous laterally.

Thorax: White, anterior margin of tegula faintly suffused with dark brown. Forewing mostly white, with a roughly triangular black spot along basal third of dorsal margin; distal third of wing uniformly ferruginous except for small, dark brown apical spot and dark brown basal margin of apical fascia, which is slanted obliquely inward toward costa; terminal cilia ferruginous, fading to pale brown along tornus and dorsal margin; venter of forewing brown except for large patch of white over basal half of discal cell area. Hindwing and cilia brown both dorsally and ventrally. Legs mostly white; forelegs and midlegs with lateral margins of femora and tibiae suffused with brown; tarsi much paler, often with scattered brown scales; hindleg with cream suffusion laterally; tarsi white.

Abdomen: Brown dorsally, cream to white laterally and ventrally.

Male Genitalia: Figures 267, 268. Socii consisting of short, narrowly rounded, widely separated, setose lobes; caudal rim of uncus sclerotized as a evenly rounded excavation between socii. Vinculum broad; anterior margin slightly truncate. Gnathos complex, consisting of a broad basal plate extending laterally nearly to apices of socii, which terminates in a broad caudal lobe with a subtruncate to slightly convex caudal, serrated margin bearing a dense row of more than 40 short, blunt spines and several, smaller, more scattered spines midventrally; anterior margin of gnathos with a deep, midventral groove that narrows caudally and extends most of length of gnathos; groove bordered by basal fold that projects as an elongate conical process which terminates caudally in a narrow, rounded lobe. Valva with a relatively large cucullar lobe ~0.45× length of genital lobe, bearing a pectinifer consisting of 27–30 blunt spines; pedicel elongate, relatively broad, width ~0.2× length of cucullar lobe; valva relatively short, length along sacculus ~0.65× length of genital capsule; saccular lobe moderately stout, extending halfway along pedicel; basal process of valva relatively short, less than length of elongate costal process. Juxta undeveloped.

Female Genitalia: Figures 428, 429. Abdomen tapering to a narrow, rounded apex. Each posterior apophysis divided ~half its length, short, slender. Papillae anales bilobed; lobes divergent, short, slightly broader than long, broadly truncate; bearing numerous long setae. Vestibulum with minute, broadly dentate spicules extending mostly into ductus bursae. Ductus bursae moderately slender, elongate, with a zone of dense, broadly pectinate, mostly 4–6-dentate spicules. Corpus bursae relatively small, elliptical, with a zone of broad pectinated spicules consisting of fused, transverse rows of 4–6 minute spicules at junction with ductus; a faint, partially U-shaped band of numerous, irregular, exterior tubercles extending most of length of bursa. Ductus spermathecae relatively short, ~0.3× length of bursa copulatrix; outer membranous canal bulbous at bursa, then narrowing distally; inner canal with 3–4 distal convolutions and slightly enlarging to small, bulbous vesicle.

LARVA AND PUPA. Unknown.

HOLOTYPE. ♂; USA: VIRGIN ISLANDS: St. Thomas, 300 m: 25–30 Jul 1987, V. O. Becker 67213 (USNM).

PARATYPES. PUERTO RICO: Centro Vacacional, Monte del Estado, near Maricao, 650 m: 5 ♂, 7 ♀, 5 UNK, 1–9 Mar 1971, C. P. Kimball, slides USNM 31847, 32745, 32744, 32746, 32963, 32962 (USNM). U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: ST. THOMAS, 300 m: 1 ♂, 25–30 Jul 1987, V. O. Becker (VOB).

HOST. Unknown.

FLIGHT PERIOD. Adults collected in March and July.

DISTRIBUTION. (Map 3) West Indies: Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

ETYMOLOGY. The specific name is derived from the Latin ferruginus (reddish brown, rust-colored), as suggested by the reddish brown, forewing apical band diagnostic for this species.

DISCUSSION. The conspicuous ferruginous apex of the forewing easily distinguishes this species from all other New World Opostegidae. The pronounced, caudally extended basal fold of the male gnathos and proportionately broader caudal lobe further distinguishes P. ferruginea from its nearest relative, P. serrata.

The lateriplicata group

The members of this group are characterized primarily by the variable development of a pair of lateral folds on the male gnathos. A basal fold may be present (in P. abrupta) or absent. The length of the valvae along the sacculus ranges from ~0.5 to 0.7× the length of the genital capsule. The juxta may be present or absent.

Pseudopostega ferruginea is a moth of the family Opostegidae. It is endemic to the West Indies, where it has been found in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas.

The length of the forewings is 2.1-2.9 mm. Adults are mostly white. Adults have been collected in March and July.