Teresita isaura Clarke 1978

Teresita isaura

Alar expanse 25 mm.

Labial palpus light ochraceous buff; second segment suffused russet on basal two-thirds; third segment russet apically. Antenna light ochraceous buff, segments spotted russet. Head pale ochraceous buff. Thorax cinnamon buff; tegula slightly lighter. Forewing ground color light ochraceous buff; extreme base of costa cinnamon buff; from near end of cell to tornus an ill-defined cinnamon buff fascia; cilia buff and light ochraceous buff, darker toward apex. Hind wing ocherous white, darker toward margins; cilia concolorous. Foreleg light ochraceous buff; tibia and tarsal segments fuscous on outer side; midleg similar; hind leg light ochraceous buff. Abdomen first three segments whitish dorsally, reminder pale dull ocherous.

Male genitalia slide USNM 24288. Harpe simple, narrowed to the truncated cucullus. Gnathos a long triangular process, spined basally. Uncus broad basally, triangular, terminating in a sharply pointed hook. Vinculum U-shaped. Tegumen as broad as long, with prominent rounded process posterolaterally. Anellus heart shaped, with posterior, fleshy lobe on each side. Aedeagus stout, curved, sharply pointed distally; vesica apparently without cornuti.

HOLOTYPE.—USNM 73725.

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Malleco, Rio Blanco, 1050–1300 m.

Described from the unique male holotype (21–24 Feb 1954, L. E. Peña).

Unfortunately this species is known only from the unique male holotype.

This species is similar in appearance to Utilia florinda, new species, but U. florinda is paler in color and lacks the cinnamon buff fascia of forewing of T. isaura.

Aliciana, new genus

TYPE-SPECIES.—Aliciana geminata, new species (by present designation). The gender of this generic name is feminine.

Labial palpus recurved; second segment scarcely reaching base of antenna, slightly roughened anteriorly; third segment slender, acute, less than half the length of second. Tongue well developed; maxillary palpus reduced, free. Head clothed with closely appressed scales; sidetufts spreading; ocellus absent. Antenna ciliated (male); scape with very strong pecten. Thorax smooth. Forewing smooth, costa gently arched; termen nearly straight, oblique, 12 veins; 1b furcate; 1c well preserved; 2 removed from 3; 3 and 4 well separated; 4 and 5 approximate; 5 and 6 parallel; 7 and 8 stalked, 7 to termen; 9 nearer to stalk of 7 and 8 than to 10; 10 nearer to 9 than to 11; 11 from before middle; upper internal vein absent. Hind wing with 8 veins; 2 remote from 3; 3 and 4 connate; 5 nearer to 4 than to 6; 6 and 7 subparallel. Hind tibia profusely covered with hairlike scales. Abdominal terga setose.

Male genitalia with well-developed uncus and gnathos.

Female genitalia unknown.

Aliciana, like several others in the Chilean fauna, keys to an Australian genus, in this case to Trachyxysta. Aliciana, however, differs from Trachyxysta by the absence of ocelli, vein 2 of forewing remote from 3 and the terminal segment of labial palpus is longer than one-third of second; however, the close relationship between the two genera cannot be ignored.

Teresita isaura is a moth in the family Oecophoridae. It was described by John Frederick Gates Clarke in 1978. It is found in Chile.

The wingspan is about 25 mm. The forewings are light ochraceous buff and the extreme base of the costa is cinnamon buff. There is an ill-defined cinnamon buff fascia from near the end of the cell to the tornus. The hindwings are ocherous white, darker toward the margins.