Eprius punctula Medeiros, Gualberto & O. Mielke, 2024

Eprius punctula Medeiros, Gualberto & O. Mielke sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-4 View Figures 1-2 View Figures 3-4 )

Description. Male ( Figs. 1 View Figures 1-2 a-b, 3): forewing length 11.5–12.5 mm (n = 9). Head: dorsally dark brown, with yellow, elongate scales at the center of vertex, around anterior chaetosema, and at transfrontal and frontoclypeal sutures; frons dark brown; gena cream to white. Antenna a little longer than half of forewing costa, dark brown, ventrally yellow at base of club, and apiculus; nudum with 12 to 13 segments. Labial palpus first and second segments ventrally mixed with brown and yellow scales, laterally yellow with long black scales between the lateral and ventral surface; third segment brown (with few scattered yellow scales on the holotype), short and conical. Thorax: dorsally dark brown, ventrally mixed with brown, grey, and yellow scales. Legs dorsally brown, ventrally grayish; foretibia with epiphysis; midtibia spined with a pair of apical spurs; hind tibia spined with pairs of median and apical spurs. Dorsal forewing ( Fig. 1a View Figures 1-2 ) ground color dark brown, darker around the stigma; a single tiny yellow spot at the end of discal cell (present in the holotype, allotype, and five paratypes); three small apical spots formed by a few (sometimes one or two) yellow scales from R 3 to M 1 and two postdiscal spots in M 3 -CuA 1 and CuA 1 -CuA 2 (some or all of these spots may be absent). Stigma grayish, composed of two parts: one upper, sagitated at the base of CuA 1 –CuA 2, with a triangular broad proximal half followed by a narrow distal portion touching the origin of CuA 1 ( Figs. 2 View Figures 1-2 a-b); the other lower, elongated, narrow, originating near the origin of CuA 2 and extending distally to the middle of the upper one ( Figs. 2 View Figures 1-2 a-b). Marginal line slightly darker than the ground color. Fringe light brown. Dorsal hind wing ( Fig. 1a View Figures 1-2 ) ground color uniformly dark brown, unmarked, with a concentration of long scales along 2A. Marginal line and fringe as on dorsal forewing. Ventral forewing ( Fig. 1b View Figures 1-2 ) ground color dark brown, paler between CuA 2 and anal margin, with scattered grayish scales along costa, in the anterior portion of discal cell, and at apex; spots as on dorsal forewing. Marginal line dark brown, distally bounded by a thin white stripe. Fringe dark brown at the base, appearing to form a second marginal line, distal half lighter. Ventral hind wing ( Fig. 1b View Figures 1-2 ) ground color dark brown, paler between the lower half of CuA 2 –2A and 2A, with scattered grayish scales. Marginal line and fringe as on ventral forewing. Abdomen: dorsally brown, with the base densely covered by elongated scales; ventrally greyish to yellowish, with an inconspicuous median longitudinal brown stripe. Genitalia ( Fig. 3 View Figures 3-4 ): tegumen rectangular, shorter than wide, with a straight proximal margin ( Fig. 3a View Figures 3-4 ); ventral arm of tegumen straight, wider than dorsal arm of saccus ( Fig. 3c View Figures 3-4 ). Saccus shorter than tegumen+uncus, ventrally broad, twice as wide as aedeagus ( Fig. 3b View Figures 3-4 ). Uncus undivided, distally directed downward; base approximately one-third the width of tegumen; distal portion with a deep lateral constriction before apex ( Fig. 3a View Figures 3-4 ). Gnathos divided, as long as uncus; arms converging towards the apex ( Figs. 3 View Figures 3-4 b-c); base broad in lateral view, about four times wider than apex ( Fig. 3c View Figures 3-4 ). Valva shaped like a parallelogram ( Fig. 3c View Figures 3-4 ); costa narrow, distally fused with ampulla; sacculus triangular, twice as long as wide; ampulla distally rounded, fused with harpe, from which it is separated by an internally serrated fold, at least in the distal half ( Fig. 3d View Figures 3-4 ); harpe approximately as long as the sacculus, with a prominent spined cylindrical projection near the proximal-ventral margin ( Fig. 3d View Figures 3-4 ). Aedeagus approximately as long as valva, straight in dorsal view ( Fig. 3f View Figures 3-4 ), with the coecum downward curved and narrower than rest of aedeagus; dorsal margin between the insertion of manica and distal margin of the opening of ejaculatory bulb laterally flattened, forming a dome-shaped, prominent projection ( Fig. 3f View Figures 3-4 ); distal end with a complex structure of toothed and strongly sclerotized flaps ( Figs. 3 View Figures 3-4 e-h); in lateral view, the flaps are inclined, forming an angle of approximately 45° with the longitudinal axis of the aedeagus ( Figs. 3f, 3h View Figures 3-4 ); ejaculatory bulb opening ovoid, separated from the proximal end of aedeagus by a short distance; insertion of the manica at the median portion of the aedeagus. Fultura inferior sclerotized, U-shaped.

Female ( Figs. 1 View Figures 1-2 c-d, 4): forewing length 11.5–12.0 mm (n=2). Similar to male, differing by the absence of stigma, the more elongated spot in the forewing discal cell (when present), and the slightly wider marginal line on the ventral surface of wings. Genitalia ( Fig. 4 View Figures 3-4 ): tergum VIII triangular, with an incomplete spiracular opening ( Fig. 4b View Figures 3-4 ). Sterigma rectangular, wider than long ( Fig. 4a View Figures 3-4 ). Lamella antevaginalis formed by two lateral sclerotized spoon-shaped regions, medially connected by a narrow, sclerotized bridge, which surrounds distally a rectangular area at the base of which the ostium is inserted. Lamella postvaginalis quadrate; distal margin with a median spine-like projection; basal half with a median circular area bordered by folds of the lamella postvaginalis and a narrow distal membranous stripe; in the middle of the median circular area, there is a triangular groove that leads to the ostium opening. Ostium rounded, surrounded by a sclerotized ring, and situated at the base of the sterigma. Bursa copulatrix five times longer than sterigma; ductus bursae sinuous, completely membranous. Papilla analis rectangular, wider than long.

Type material. Holotype male deposited at the DZUP with the following labels (each separated by a slash) : / HOLOTYPUS / Linhares , EspÍrito Santo, Brasil, 26-III-1972, C. Elias leg. / DZ 31.712 / Eprius punctula Medeiros, Gualberto & O. Mielke det. 2024 /. Allotype female deposited at the DZUP with the following labels (each separated by a slash) : / ALLOTYPUS / Linhares , EspÍrito Santo, Brasil, 18-III-1972, C. Elias leg. / DZ 31.753 / Eprius punctula Medeiros, Gualberto & O. Mielke det. 2024 /. Paratypes (8 males and 1 female). 3 males, 1 female. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 11-III-1972, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.750, DZ 31.710, DZ 31.760, DZ 31.633 [ DZUP] . 1 male. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 26-III-1972, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.653 [ DZUP] . 1 male. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 16-21-IV-1973, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.730 [ DZUP] . 1 male. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 4-V-1972, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.433 [ DZUP] . 1 male. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 17-V-1972, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.652 [ DZUP] . 1 male. BRAZIL. EspÍrito Santo, Linhares , 15-VI-1973, col. C. Elias, DZ 31.592 [ DZUP] .

Distribution. Species known only from its type locality, the lowland Atlantic Forest of Linhares, EspÍrito Santo, Brazil.

Etymology. The name is a fusion of the Latin words punctu [m] and [cellu] la referring to the yellow spot in the forewing discal cell of some male and female specimens. The name is a noun in apposition.

Comments and diagnosis. Until the present study, Eprius Godman, 1901 had six species ( Mielke 2024a). The males of the species in this genus present two stigmas on the forewing, one at the base of CuA 1 -CuA 2, and the other below CuA 2 ( Figs. 2 View Figures 1-2 a-b). The arrangement of these stigmas allows for the recognition of two informal species groups. The first group includes Eprius veleda (Godman, 1901) , Eprius veledinus Grishin, 2023 , and Eprius obrepta (Kivirikko, 1936) , in which the stigma in CuA 2 -2A is displaced towards the wing base with the distal end below the origin of CuA 2. The second group includes Eprius penna ( Evans, 1955) , Eprius repens ( Evans, 1955) , and Eprius planus (Weeks, 1901) , in which the part of the stigma in CuA 2 -2A is displaced distally with the proximal end below the origin of CuA 2.

Eprius punctula sp. nov. has the stigma of the second species group and can be easily confused with E. penna , E. repens , and E. planus considering solely the stigma and wing color pattern. The presence of a spot at the end of the discal cell of the forewing seems to occur only in E. punctula sp. nov., but this spot is absent in some specimens in good conditions. On the other hand, the yellow spots at the distal end of the discal cell and between Rs- CuA 2 on the ventral hindwing are present only in E. penna , E. repens , and E. planus ( Evans 1955) . However, considering the variation in the presence of wing spots in these species (especially in worn specimens), the most appropriate way for a reliable identification is through the study of the genitalia. The male and female genitalia of E. punctula sp. nov. are morphologically similar to those of E. repens . Regarding the male genitalia, E. punctula sp. nov. can be easily recognized by the presence of a spined cylindrical projection near the proximal-ventral margin of harpe ( Fig. 3d View Figures 3-4 ) (absent in E. repens ) and by the greater complexity of the flaps at the distal end of the aedeagus ( Figs. 3 View Figures 3-4 e-h). As for the female genitalia, E. punctula sp. nov. is characterized by the distal margin of the lamella postvaginalis being approximately straight ( Fig. 4a View Figures 3-4 ) instead of deeply excavated in the median portion as in E. repens .