Pseudopostega galapagosae Davis & Stonis 2007

Pseudopostega galapagosae

ADULT. Figures 129, 180–182. Length of forewing 2.3–3.4 mm. Small, mostly white moth with white forewings variably marked, usually with a dark brown fascia traversing at or slightly below middle of wing, 3 dark brown, subapical costal strigulae, a short, dark brown terminal strigula, a dark brown to nearly black apical spot, and a short, dark brown tornal strigula extending from apical spot. Male with cucullar and saccular lobes of valvae greatly enlarged; basal fold narrow, usually triangular (Figure 334). Female with papillae anales fused, consisting of a single, short, rounded, setose lobe broader than long (Figures 455, 456).

Head: Vestiture white. Scape white with dark brown, anterioventral margin; flagellum light golden brown to dark brown, 46–90-segmented. Maxillary palpus cream to light gray; labial palpus cream with gray to dark brown suffusion dorsally.

Thorax: White; anterior margin of tegula dark brown. Forewing mostly white variably marked, usually with a dark brown fascia traversing at or slightly below middle of wing; sometimes with only a portion of fascia preserved usually at costal and/or dorsal margins; fascia either slightly arched toward apex (Figure 181), or sharply angled at middle (Figures 129, 182); costal edge of wing dark brown nearly to fascia; 3 dark brown, subapical costal strigulae present; first strigula broadest, often triangular, sometimes with faint suffusion of light gray to brown scales extending to dark brown tornal spot; strigula 2 a narrow, short band ending at anterior margin of a variably developed yellow spot, but often extending around apex of wing to tornus; strigula 3 usually curving around and beyond dark brown to nearly black apical spot, often interrupted by a small patch of grayish to yellowish brown scales at apex of wing; a short, dark brown tornal strigula extending through cilia from dark brown apical spot, sometimes along outer border of yellow spot; terminal cilia mostly white between strigulae, grayish to yellowish brown at apex beyond strigula 3, becoming light brown along dorsal margin; venter of forewing light to dark brown except for basal white area. Hindwing and cilia cream to light brown dorsally and ventrally except for white suffusion at base. Legs mostly white to cream; foreleg with dorsal surfaces suffused with gray to brown; mid and hind tarsi gray to brown dorsally, usually with pale banding evident, especially on tarsomeres 3 and 4.

Abdomen: Cream to brown dorsally, white to cream ventrally.

Male Genitalia: Figures 334, 335. Socii a pair of relatively short, round, setose lobes, widely separated by a distance ~0.33× length of cucullar lobe; caudal rim of uncus deeply concave. Vinculum moderately broad, slightly tapering; anterior margin broadly round. Gnathos with a relatively broad base tapering to stout, blunt, dorsally upturned apical lobe with minutely irregular margins; basal fold narrow, usually triangular with caudal apex sometimes slightly attenuate. Valva with cucullar lobe obovate, greatly enlarged ~0.6–0.7× length of genital capsule, nearly equal to or exceeding length of saccular lobe of valva, bearing a pectinifer consisting of 58–64 blunt spines; distal apex of cucullar lobe broadly rounded; pedicel obovate, tapering to a variably slender junction with cucullar lobe; valva elongate, length along sacculus ~0.7× length of genital capsule; apex of saccular lobe broadly rounded; basal process of valva terminating slightly before basal end of costal lobe. Juxta poorly developed, consisting of a short, slender, median rod from vinculum.

Female Genitalia: Figures 455, 456. Abdomen tapering to a slender, slightly cleft apex. Each posterior apophysis fused for most its length, slender, elongate, length ~4.75× width of papillae anales. Anal papilla a single, short, rounded, setose lobe broader than long; width ~1.5× length; longest setae ~0.4× length of apophyses. Vestibulum slender, membranous. Ductus bursae slender, elongate, with a median zone of pectinations consisting of variable rows of 2–5 minute spicules. Corpus bursae elongate, slender, gradually enlarging anteriorly; anterior half of bursa with variable, generally elongate, flattened spicules embedded in wall; anterior third with a faint, U-shaped band of variably angulate, flattened, external tubercles. Ductus spermathecae moderately short, about half as long as bursa copulatrix; membranous outer canal short, slender; inner canal curved to slightly sinuate, terminating in no more than 1–2 convolutions, enlarging to a short, coiled, tubular vesicle.

LARVA AND PUPA. Unknown.

HOLOTYPE. ♂; ECUADOR: GALáPAGOS: Isabela: V. Darwin, 630 m: 16 May 1992, B. Landry, slide DRD 4241 (MHNG).

PARATYPES. ECUADOR: GALáPAGOS: Fernandina: SW side, crater rim, GPS: 1341 m, 00°21.910'S, 91°34.034'W: 1 ♀, 13 Feb 2005, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Fernandina: SW side, GPS: 815 m, 00°21.270'S, 91°35.341'W, 1 ♂, daytime, 11 Feb 2005, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Fernandina: SW side, GPS: 815 m, 00°21.270'S, 91°35.341'W: 1 ♀, 14 Feb 2005, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Isabela: NE slope Alcedo, GPS: 292 m, 00°23.829'S, 91°01.957'W: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 30 Mar 2004, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Isabela: 1 km W Puerto Villamil: 1 ♀, 3 Mar 1989, B.Landry, (CNC). Isabela: 8.5 km N Pto. Villamil: 3 ♂, 11 Mar 1989, B. Landry, slide USNM 30843 (CNC, USNM). Isabela: 3 km N Sto. Tomas: 1 ♀, 8 Mar 1989, B. Landry (CNC). Isabela: Alcedo, lado NE, 200 m: 1 ♂, 14 Apr 2002, 1 ♂, 18 Apr 2002, B. Landry & L. Roque (MHNG). Isabela: ~15 km N Puerto Villamil: 1 ♀, 25 May 1992, B. Landry (MHNG). Isabela: Puerto Villamil: 2 ♀, 2 Mar 1989, B. Landry (CNC). Isabela: V. Alcedo, Cumbre, 1200 m: 1 ♂, 9 Apr 1999, L. Roque (CDRS). Isabela: V. Darwin, 1000 m: 1 ♂, 18 May 1992, B. Landry (MHNG). Isabela: V. Darwin, 200 m: 1 ♂, 11 Feb 1999, L. Roque (CDRS). Isabela: V. Darwin, 300 m: 4 ♂, 1 ♀, 15 May 1992, B. Landry, slide USNM 32852 (MHNG, USNM). San Cristóbal: 1 km S El Progreso: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 14 Feb 1989, B. Landry (CNC). San Cristóbal: 4 km SE Pto. Baquarizo: 3 ♀, 12 Feb 1989, 2 ♀, 20 Feb 1989, B. Landry (CNC, USNM). San Cristóbal: 1 ♀, near Loberia, GPS: 14 m, 00°55.149'S, 89°36.897'W: 1 ♀, 16 Mar 2004, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). San Cristóbal: pampa zone: 2 ♀, 18 Feb 1989, B. Landry (CNC, USNM). San Cristóbal: Pto. Baquarizo: 1 ♀, 17 Feb 1989, B. Landry (CNC). San Cristóbal: 2 km W Bella Vista: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1 UNK, 27 Feb 1989, B. Landry, slides USNM 32869, DRD 4018 (CNC, USNM). Santa Cruz: 2 females, agriculture zone, near (NNW) Bella Vista, GPS: 223 m, 00°41.297'S, 90°19.670'W: 2 ♀, 7 Apr 2004, uvl, B. Landry (MHNG). Santa Cruz: low agriculture zone, GPS: 00°42.132'S, 90°19.156'W: 1 ♀, 13 Mar 2004, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Santa Cruz: CDRS, Barranco, 20 m: 2 ♂, 30 Apr 2002, B. Landry (MHNG). Santa Cruz: E.C.C.D: 2 ♀, 7 Mar 1989, 1 ♂, 7 Mar 1992, B. Landry (CNC, MHNG). Santa Cruz: Finca S. Devine: 1 ♀, 17 Mar 1989, B. Landry, slide USNM 32851 (USNM). Santa Cruz: Finca Vilema, 2 km W Bella Vista: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, 1 Apr 1992, B. Landry, slide DRD 4019 (MHNG, USNM). Santa Cruz: Los Gemelos: 1 ♀, 31 Jan 1989, B. Landry, slide USNM 32850 (USNM). Santa Cruz: transition zone, recently cut road, GPS: 00°42.528'S, 90°18.849'W: 1 ♀, 12 Mar 2004, uvl, B. Landry, P. Schmitz (MHNG). Santiago: 1 ♀, 5 Apr 1992, B. Landry, DNA sample DRD188 (MHNG). Santiago: Aguacate, 520 m: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 6 Apr 1992, B. Landry (MHNG). Santiago: Bahia Espumilla: 1 ♀, 4 Apr 1992, B. Landry, slide USNM 31796 (MHNG, USNM). Santiago: Central, 700 m: 1 ♂, 9 Apr 1992, B. Landry (MHNG).

HOST. Unknown.

FLIGHT PERIOD. Adults have been collected from January to May.

DISTRIBUTION. (Map 9) This species is probably endemic to the Galápagos Islands where it has been collected on the islands of Fernandina, Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Santiago.

ETYMOLOGY. The species name is derived from the name of the general type locality, the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador.

DISCUSSION. Although the forewing pattern of this species appears variable, relatively similar male genital morphology suggests there to be only one species of Pseudopostega present in the Galápagos Islands. It would, of course, be interesting to compare possible genetic differences between the island populations once properly preserved specimens become available for analysis. Hebert’s lab was unable to sequence the CO1 gene in the single specimen submitted from Santiago (DRD188). The male valva of P. galapagosae is unique in possessing the relatively broadest sacculus of any New World Pseudopostega. Some variation was noted in the relative length of the saccular lobe, with that illustrated (Figure 334) representing the shorter length. The pedicel is also slightly variable but is usually strongly constricted at the connection with the relatively greatly enlarged cucullar lobe.

Pseudopostega galapagosae is a moth of the family Opostegidae. It was described by Donald R. Davis and Jonas R. Stonis, 2007. It is probably endemic to the Galápagos Islands where it has been collected on the islands of Fernandina, Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Santiago.

The length of the forewings is 2.3–3.4 mm. Adults have been recorded from January to May.