Setiostoma dietzi Duckworth 1971

Setiostoma dietzi

Alar expanse 11–15 mm.

Eye index .80 male, .80–.83 female.

Antenna with scape yellow flecked with brown, brown beyond, basal segments beyond scape annulated with yellow; sensory hairs of male about 2 × diameter of shaft basally, gradually reduced to 0.5 × at apex; those of female about 0.3–0.5 ×. Head yellow, slightly flecked with brown near eyes. Labial palpus with basal segment brown, second segment yellow flecked with brown, apical segment yellow. Maxillary palpus yellow. Base of proboscis brown. Thorax and tegulae yellow. Legs dark brown; foreleg and midleg with two tarsal rings, tip, white; foreleg with tibial spurs white on inner surface, two tarsal rings, tip, white. Forewing yellow basally to just before midpoint, distal margin of yellow area straight from costa to dorsum, bordered by a dark brown line. Apical half of forewing dark brown; with broad transverse band parallel to distal margin of yellow area, subterminal band from costa before apex to tornus, irregular patches between two preceding fascia, iridescent blue to violet. Cilia gray brown. Hindwing dark brown with white patch on anterior margin; cilia concolorous basally, gray brown medially, white apically.

MALE GENITALIA (WDD 3945).—Uncus strongly recurved, apex acute, slightly hooked; gnathos membranous, covered with upright, scalelike setae; harpe divided, costal margin produced into a thumblike lobe from base, bearing a few multilobed, palmate setae from an apical invagination, on harpe just distad of costal lobe a cluster of upright, broad setae arising from an elongate raised ridge, apex of harpe covered with long, basally directed setae; vinculum extremely broad, completely recurved with ends in near proximity to base; anellus U-shaped basally, bearing two upright divergent lateral lobes of approximately uniform width throughout, rounded apically with a row of short spines; transtilla present, lateral elements ascending, median element slightly concave; aedeagus long, acute apically, vesica armed with a long cluster of small to medium cornuti.

FEMALE GENITALIA (WDD 3946).—Ovipositor elongate, posterior and anterior apophyses approximately equal in length, somewhat sinuate; lamella postvanginalis a faintly sclerotized plate, lamella antevaginalis dumbbell shaped; ostium small, round, ostium bursae with a sclerotized ring; ductus bursae with sclerotized scobination from ostium bursae to midpoint, membranous beyond; inception of ductus seminalis at junction of ostium bursae, large, with sclerotized scobination continuous with that of ductus bursae; corpus bursae membranous, transition from ductus seminalis distinct, signum a very large ovoid plate with a longitudinal flange and numerous small dentations.

TYPE.—In the National Museum of Natural History, USNM 71434.

TYPE LOCALITY.—Canõ Cabra, Rio Guayabero, Meta, Colombia.

HOST PLANT.—Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION.—Presently recorded from the humid low highlands of western Venezuela, central Colombia and Costa Rica.

ADULT RECORDS.—COLOMBIA: Canõ Cabra, 29–I–69, R. E. Dietz IV; one female paratype: VENEZUELA: Barin., Barinitas, 22–26–II–69, Duckworth & Dietz; and one female paratype: COSTA RICA: Turrialba, 17–21.II.65, S.S. & W.D. Duckworth.

This species is readily separated from all others in the genus by characters of the genitalia. The presence of a transtilla and the divided harpe distinguish the males, and the sclerotized scobination of the ductus bursae and ductus seminalis separate the females.

This species is by far the most difficult to relate to other species in the genus. The male genital characters are quite different and the presence of a transtilla, rare for the entire family, is particularly interesting. In general, it appears to be highly developed and may represent a very specialized offshoot of the group. Further speculation in this connection must await the acquisition of additional specimens.

This species is named for Mr. Robert E. Dietz IV, who collected the type specimen and has ably assisted me in both the field and laboratory in recent years.

Rectiostoma haemitheia is a moth in the family Depressariidae. It was described by Cajetan Felder, Rudolf Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875. It is found in the humid low highlands of western Venezuela, central Colombia and Costa Rica. It has also been recorded from Panama and Brazil (Amazonas).

The wingspan is 11–15 mm. The forewings are yellow basally to just before the midpoint, the distal margin of the yellow area runs straight from the costa to the dorsum and is bordered by a dark brown line. The apical half of the forewing is dark brown with a broad transverse band parallel to the distal margin of the yellow area and a subterminal band from the costa before the apex to the tornus. There are irregular, iridescent blue to violet patches between two preceding fascia. The hindwings are dark brown with a white patch on the anterior margin.